Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Value of stolen items: Undetermined
Police arrested an Indianapolis man on charges of stealing manhole covers and sewer grates and are continuing their investigation into the disappearance of four manhole covers and 47 sewer grates from city streets, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Investigators say more than one person may be behind the crime spree, apparently prompted by higher scrap metal prices. The price increased from $70 a ton in 2002 to as much as $300 a ton last year.
Police arrested Michael Caputo at a construction site where they found stolen metal materials. Caputo confessed to stealing two manhole covers, which have not been recovered, police said.
Some grates may have been recovered at a scrap metal yard, but because the grates in Indianapolis streets aren’t marked, there is no way to tell for sure.
