In a bizarre yet dangerous theft case, Narayan Ghayal (35), an auto-rickshaw driver from Dahisar, Mumbai, has been arrested for stealing 17 manhole lids and two safety nets across multiple localities since June 2025.
The arrest came after a complaint filed on August 13 by Devendra Vaidya (52), who noticed a missing manhole lid in Veer Hanuman Nagar Road, Kandarpada. MHB Colony police, led by DCP Sandeep Jadhav, launched an investigation, which involved an extensive review of CCTV footage and Google timeline data.
Despite avoiding surveillance by targeting areas with no CCTV coverage, Ghayal was caught on one grainy camera. The footage revealed only part of the auto number—‘77’—which police used to narrow down suspects. Additional tracking between 4:30 am to 6:00 am, the likely theft window, helped trace active rickshaws.
The key breakthrough came when Sub-Inspector Sandeep Gorade traced Ghayal’s Google location history, confirming his presence at all 17 theft sites.
Police recovered all stolen lids, which Ghayal admitted to selling for Rs1,000–Rs1,200 apiece, despite each costing Rs6,000. He reportedly committed the thefts to “party with his friend” after his morning shifts.
The thefts were treated as serious offences due to the risk to public safety, as open manholes could have led to fatal accidents. Ghayal’s aide, who helped him in non-CCTV zones, remains at large.
Ghayal has been remanded to judicial custody as the investigation continues.
