The Khar Police have arrested three individuals for the theft of 14 manhole covers from the Khar and Bandra areas. The accused have been charged under Section 303(2), a non-cognizable offense related to theft.
The arrested suspects are Sahadev Logen Singh (20), Bhanu Chelamuthu Devendra (36), and Kasturi Bablu Devendra (32), all laborers residing in Nehru Nagar, Vile Parle East. The stolen iron manhole covers, valued at Rs70,000, were taken from locations including Linking Road, Khar West, 24th Road, KFC Junction, and SV Road.
The investigation began after a complaint was filed by Madhav Ramchandra Sarke (49), a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) supervisor, on January 21, reporting the theft of the covers. The police quickly analyzed CCTV footage from the area, which led them to trace the suspects.
DCP Dixit Gedam supervised the investigation, and under his guidance, a team was formed to identify and arrest the culprits. Officers, including API Dutta Kokane and the crime detection team, reviewed the footage and tracked the movements of the suspects. Through technical assistance, they were able to pinpoint the suspects’ identities and locations, resulting in the arrests of the three individuals.
The police recovered four of the stolen manhole covers from the suspects, and efforts are ongoing to identify and apprehend other accomplices, including a female associate.
