In a bizarre midnight theft straight out of a slapstick script, two thieves in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad were caught on CCTV as they stole a heavy iron drain cover and made a comically uncoordinated getaway.
The viral video, which has now taken social media by storm, captures the two culprits lurking around a quiet street under the cover of darkness. They cautiously survey their surroundings — trying to ensure no prying eyes were watching — before lifting the hefty iron grate off the roadside drain.
Watch the viral video:
Uttar Pradesh: In Ghaziabad district, thieves stole an iron grate from a drain. The e-rickshaw they brought had black paint smeared on its number plate.
pic.twitter.com/J0L5GCgvMT— Ghar Ke Kalesh (@gharkekalesh) August 2, 2025
What happened next turned an ordinary act of theft into an internet sensation. The duo, who came prepared with an e-rickshaw, seemed to have thought things through, up to a point. The e-rickshaw’s number plate was smeared with black paint in an apparent attempt to dodge police identification. But their lack of coordination was quite visible.
After loading the iron slab into the vehicle, one thief hopped in, but instead of waiting for their partner, the driver of the e-rickshaw took off in haste. The second thief was left chasing the moving e-rickshaw in a scene that’s now being described online as a “comedy of errors.”
The viral video suggests that the theft occurred in the wee hours in a quiet residential area. The stolen drain cover could pose a serious risk to pedestrians and motorists alike.
Netizens, meanwhile, are having a field day, with memes and sarcastic captions flooding platforms like X and Instagram.
This isn’t the first time petty thieves have made headlines in Ghaziabad, but this viral clip may be among the most absurd.
PNN
