SIBU: A group of thieves are believed to be prowling the town for opportunities to steal gas cylinders left outside coffee shops.
It is believed that they had been using sledge hammers to tamper with the tailor-made boxes that kept the gas cylinders.
Thefts of gas cylinders had been so rampant that many food outlets had decided not to leave their gas cylinders in the open, a food stall operator at Tuanku Osman Road here said.
He said his gas cylinders had been stolen before his eyes.
“There was nothing I could do as I dare not stop them,” he said, adding he had since kept his gas cylinders inside the shop.
Meanwhile, two youths were also said to be moving around the commercial area beside the civic centre here, looking for gas cylinders to steal.
A shopkeeper said she saw the duo coming on a motorcycle to steal a gas cylinder recently.
An owner of a shop house in the same area said he had forgotten to lock his premises one day recently only to return the following day to find a gas cylinder missing.