Lucknow, Dec. 14 -- A liquor theft racket allegedly being operated in connivance with hotel staff has been busted by the Krishna Nagar police after an intensive probe that involved scanning footage from more than 400 CCTV cameras across the city. A group of criminals would strike liquor shops, make off with the liquor and cash from the shop and store the loot in a hotel in Charbagh with the help of the hotel staff. "Eight accused, all seasoned offenders, were arrested for breaking into a composite liquor shop and stealing alcohol and cash," said DCP South Nipun Agarwal. According to ACP Krishna Nagar Rajneesh Verma, the investigation was triggered after a liquor shop owner, Rajiv Kumar Srivastava, lodged a complaint on December 10, stating that miscreants had broken the shop's shutter at Pakri Pul on VIP Road and decamped with liquor and cash. "The scale of the theft and the professional manner in which the burglary was executed prompted police to suspect the involvement of an organised gang," the ACP added. According to the police, the motive was a quick buck at night by selling stolen liquor at inflated prices to travellers around railway and bus terminals. "What helped the police crack the case was a pattern of movement traced through CCTV footage, showing repeated late-night trips of an auto-rickshaw towards Charbagh after the burglary," added the DCP. "Three police teams were formed, which analysed visual, manual and technical evidence. The trail eventually led investigators to SS Hotel in the Charbagh area, where part of the stolen liquor was stored, allegedly with the help of hotel staff," ACP Verma said. "During the arrests near Lok Bandhu Hospital, police recovered two cartons of English liquor (96 quarter bottles of 180 ml each), Rs.30,500, and an auto-rickshaw used in the crime, which has been seized under the Motor Vehicles Act," read a press note. "Interrogation revealed that the gang had broken the shop shutter and stolen multiple cartons of liquor and cash, later selling most of it clandestinely at night," the press note added. Police said further legal action is underway and the role of others linked to the racket is being examined. The arrests mark a significant success for the Krishna Nagar police, said the DCP, adding that surveillance around vulnerable commercial establishments will be further strengthened....