Mysuru: Gang caught on camera entering manholes in quest of treasure?

MYSURU: There is a reason why the quest for a hidden treasure has been romanticised in all forms of popular entertainment – they lead human beings on adventure, test the limits of human will, and more often than not, reveal the true strength of an individual’s character. As if in testimony to the extent that an individual can go to in search of ‘hidden’ treasure, a group of men in Mysuru were found sieving the watery contents of the city’s drainage network, entering manholes in the proximity of jewellery store.
On spotting a group of around four or five men entering manholes, Punith Nagaraju, a law student who was strolling along Basaveshwara Road near Akkammanni Hospital on Sunday morning, promptly recorded their actions. He uploaded a video and photograph on Twitter and tagged social welfare minister Priyank Kharge, chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and the state chief secretary, expressing outrage at the continuing practice of manual scavenging.
The video went viral on social media, and Priyank, responding to the issue, thanked Nagaraju and assured him of initiating action. The minister then directed the authorities concerned to look into the issue.
Acting at the minister’s behest, the authorities found that no complaints of blockage had been reported in the area where Nagaraju had found men entering manholes. Furthermore, they were able to confirm that those who entered the sewers were neither employees of the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) or those working for a contractor enlisted by the civic agency.
MCC commissioner Shilpa Nag said that the authorities had inquired locals about the incident. “When some of the residents asked the men about their actions, they replied that they were hunting for ornaments,” Shilpa said.
Averring the civic agency’s commitment to prevention of manual scavenging, Shilpa added, “The MCC is in possession of enough desilting and roding machines, which we use to clean the drains. We ensure that nobody enters manholes to clear blocked drains.”
On the directions of the MCC commissioner, the sub-division assistant executive engineer for the underground drain division of the civic agency Shivanna Gowda CK has filed a complaint against those who reportedly entered the manholes at the Krishnaraja police station.
“We have not been able to track those who entered the manhole,” Gowda told TOI.
He added that they were aware of the operations of a gang, which had been reported looking for ornaments in open drains. “We have even heard that they have found around one or two grams of valuable jewellery,” Gowda said.