Mumbai to Gujarat: Tracing the journey of stolen manhole lids

Drug addict Kamlesh ‘Bunty’ Solanki, who allegedly stole 26 manhole covers in Dahisar and Borivli; Abdul Gani Mohammad Nazir, scrap dealer who purchased the stolen lids; A manhole at IC Colony in Borivli West the cover of which was allegedly stolen by Bunty. Pics/Shirish Vaktania

The Mumbai police, who have recovered 400 stolen manhole covers this year, have revealed that several thieves had been selling lids to scrap dealers in Gujarat. According to the authorities, in some of the 53 thefts that were registered in 2023, the pilfered covers found their way to manufacturing units in the neighbouring state. Officials have raised concerns about a large syndicate, indicating a more intricate operation than initially perceived.

Thefts committed by the addicts are a desperate measure driven by their need for funds to procure narcotics and sustain themselves for about a week. However, it is the scrap dealers who are masterminding this illicit operation, covertly selling the stolen property to larger dealers in Gujarat. These dealers cunningly present the stolen goods as scrap, obscuring the true nature of their origin," said an officer familiar with the ongoing investigation.

Drug addict Kamlesh ‘Bunty' Solanki; Abdul Gani Mohammad Nazir Shah; Bunty's mother; (from left to right) Vegetable-seller-turned-thief Anil Shekhar Kevat; Habitual offender Anil Shivmangal Verma; The rickshaw in which Bunty transported one of the stolen lids in Borivli

The arrested accused employed a consistent modus operandi: They use autorickshaws to transport the heavy manhole covers, which are broken into pieces, making them easier to manage, and then sold to scrap dealers. The dealers smash the pieces into even smaller bits before supplying them to manufacturing units.

This was seen in a case where the Vakola police apprehended an auto driver and habitual offender, Anil Shivmangal Verma, 34, and a vegetable seller, Anil Shekhar Kevat, 27, for allegedly pilfering three manhole lids.

The police also traced the third accused, Shanawaz Shaikh, to Kurla.

Kevat, arrested for the first time, confessed to participating in the thefts alongside Verma. He cited financial struggles as his reason for resorting to crime. Investigation officer Sachin Patil stated, "Kevat doesn't have any criminal records, but Verma was arrested 10 times for stealing manholes." The investigations revealed that the manhole lids in this case were also sold in Gujarat.

This month, the Gamdevi police arrested two 23-year-olds, Mumbra resident Sagir Sayed and Worli resident Irfan Shaikh stealing three manhole covers from the petrol pump area at Gamdevi. The covers had landed in Gujarat.

Another officer who is part of the investigations told mid-day, "As we delve deeper into the cases, we are actively scrutinising the evidence to determine whether the theft of manhole covers is part of a more extensive syndicate than previously imagined."

Addict's motives
Stolen manhole covers provide drug addicts with funds to sustain their habit. A single stolen lid yields enough money to last for two weeks. Habitual offenders, driven by their addiction, are sometimes ostracised by their families.

One of them, 29-year-old Kamlesh ‘Bunty' Solanki allegedly stole 26 manhole covers in Dahisar and Borivli. He was released on bail after a mere three days of arrest by the MHB Colony police in June. His accomplice, a scrap dealer named Abdul Gani Mohammad Nazir Shah, 51, who purchased the stolen lids, was also granted bail.

mid-day visited Bunty's residence at Ganpat Patil Nagar slum in Dahisar West. The youth's family said he had been expelled from their home due to his activities, which he carried out at the behest of his drug-addicted associates.

Reporter: Where is Bunty?
Bunty's mother: I don't know where he is now. I had to ask him to leave our home due to his behaviour.

Could you explain why you asked him to leave?
Bunty's mother: I've worked as a caregiver for patients for three decades. I even bought five mini-tempos to help him earn a living, but his drug addiction led him to sell them all. Eventually, I had to part with the last tempo as well. His routine became erratic. He would return home in the wee hours and we'd often find him sleeping on the footpath, under the influence of ganja. We reached a breaking point.

Did his drug use start before or after his marriage?
Bunty's mother: He began consuming drugs in 2022. His new associates in the neighbourhood, who are drug users and criminals, introduced him to this lifestyle. These friends coerced him into stealing manhole covers, using the proceeds to buy drugs for
the group.

Why didn't you confront him about his behaviour?
Bunty's mother: In December last year, I paid R50,000 to admit him to a rehabilitation centre. He stayed there for only three months and didn't return. His addiction to ganja persisted.

Is there a concern that he might steal manhole covers again?
Bunty's mother: When I asked him to leave, he made a promise in front of Jai Ambe Mataji that he would abstain from drugs and theft.
Bunty's sister: My brother is innocent; he stole only three manhole covers. However, the police are wrongly accusing him of taking 26. The police manipulated evidence by recording him removing a manhole cover and presented this in court.
Bunty's mother: Officers from the detection team beat him up severely, affecting his ability to walk. They even demanded R50,000 from me to avoid taking further action against him.
Bunty's sister: I managed to collect R20,000 from my employer, while my mother borrowed the remaining R30,000 to satisfy the demands of the police.
Bunty's mother: The police insisted on cash payment rather than accepting a digital transaction. They collected it in a piece of paper in the detection room.

Can you provide any information about your son's whereabouts?
Bunty's mother: I'm not aware of his location at the moment. While I intend to find him, I won't allow him back until he abandons his harmful habits.

Scrap dealer's complicity
When mid-day's met Abdul Gani Mohammad Nazir Shah, he admitted to knowingly buying manhole covers from Bunty, driven by the prospect of profit. He shared details about how he obtained and resold the items, though he claimed to have learned his lesson and vowed to change his ways.

When did Bunty come to your shop to sell manholes?
Abdul Gani: He was working as a garbage and scrap collector in the area, so he came by frequently. Three months ago, he came with a broken manhole cover. I thought it was not useful, so I purchased it as scrap. But, a few days later, he visited my shop again with two manhole covers, and I realised that these were new. I found out that Bunty had stolen them. In order to make a profit, I bought the items from him and gave him R1,300 for the first one. He had brought them in an autorickshaw. No scrap dealers accept manhole covers, as they are prohibited from doing so by the police. I easily managed to make R300-400 per manhole as each weighed around 50 to 60 kilogrammes.

Were you not aware at the time that you were doing something illegal?
Abdul Gani: Bunty is a drug addict, and I didn't want to get into a tussle with him. Plus, I wanted to make a profit, so I took them. I couldn't supply all the manhole covers to scrap companies at once, so I sent the first one to a scrap company in a truck. They accepted it, and it boosted my confidence. I had only purchased three manhole covers, but the police claimed they recovered 16 from me.

Will you continue to buy manhole covers?
Abdul Gani: I have been in this business for the past 30 years, and no other such cases have been registered against me. I made a mistake, but I will never repeat it again. I have accepted my mistake.

Rs 15,000 bond
Despite endangering citizens' lives, manhole cover thieves have been obtaining bail on a mere Rs 15,000 bond.

Ruing this fact, advocate Ali Kashif Khan said, "Manholes are extremely hazardous for the people. Unfortunately, we don't have serious penal provisions for keeping the accused behind bars for an extended period. However, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief can take action against the ward officer concerned for not acting diligently as well as public servants disobeying the law."

He added, "The relevant Indian Penal Code sections that can be used to make the case stronger against the accused are 268, 269 and 270, which speak about causing danger, health issues and disease to the public by any act of omission or commission."

‘Cops told to be watchful'
Vivek Phansalkar, commissioner of police, told mid-day he has instructed all police stations and senior officials to maintain constant vigilance with regard to manhole covers across the city. "Monitoring efforts will also extend to the use of CCTV surveillance, with prompt notification to the respective police station if any suspicious activity is observed. We have directed stringent action by filing FIRs for stolen covers and apprehension of suspects by the police stations. Any possibility of an organised gang or syndicate being involved in these thefts will be looked into and investigated," he said.

16
No. of lids recovered from Abdul Gani

400
No. of manhole lids stolen this year