Police launched an investigation into the disappearance of greater than 30 manhole covers in the Thawi Watthana district of Bangkok. Officers carried out raids on a selection of scrap supplier retailers within the capital to recover the stolen objects to no avail.
The Director of Thawi Watthana district, Dicha Kongsi, filed a grievance with Thammasara Police Station after receiving reports of missing manhole covers, that are circular metallic sheets with a diameter of 86 centimetres and a weight of 70 to eighty kilograms, typically discovered on a roadside.
Khaosod reporters performed an on-site visit to Soi Thawi Watthana 55, one of the roads where the manhole covers had been stolen. There, they met with district engineer Thanakrit Ritbanjong and his group, who have been using wood planks to cover the manholes briefly to forestall pedestrians from falling into the holes.
Thanakrit informed Khaosod that the district workplace obtained complaints from residents in regards to the stolen covers three weeks ago. Similar incidents have been reported in several areas of the district, including Suan Pak Road, Thawi Watthana-Kanchanapisek Road, Phutthamonthon Sai Sam Road, Liap Khlonh Thawi Watthana Road, and Bang Waek Road.
Thanakrit reported that the group received some leads from a restaurant owner who witnessed the theft. The witness reported seeing men in a black Isuzu D-Max pickup truck parked outside his restaurant stealing the manhole covers.
The restaurant proprietor went to examine, but the thieves shone a spotlight in his face so he couldn’t see their faces and made an escape.
Thanakrit stated added that some of the areas the place the thefts occurred have security cameras, which could provide priceless proof for the police investigation.
Hush-hush from the Thammasara Police Station are currently investigating scrap merchant outlets in the area in the hope of finding proof that the stolen manhole covers had been offered to them. Police have also warned scrap consumers of the legal penalties of buying stolen items and urged them to report any helpful info to the authorities.
The theft of public property, as in this case, is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment from one to 5 years and a nice ranging from 20,000 to 100,000 baht, based on Section 335 (10) of the Criminal Law..