Thief missing after escaping into gutter

Mumbai, Jan 15 (UNI) In a bizarre incident today, an alleged thief was trapped inside a gutter while escaping from the public in the Jogeshwari suburb of the metropolis.

Even after a six-hour rescue-and-track operation by a team of seven fire brigade officials, he could not be found anywhere, forcing the team to abandon the search.

According to the police, the alleged thief was trying to escape from the scene after stealing five kg of copper wire from the area.

''When he saw the public chasing him, afraid that he might be caught, he jumped into the nearby gutter, without realising that it was too narrow,'' the official said.

Police and fire brigade officials were called in to trace the thief, but they were not able to find him.

''As of now there is no trace of the thief, and his identity is yet to be established,'' the official said.

UNI IAS SR RSA RN1733