A video, apparently CCTV footage, showing a man stepping out of an auto-rickshaw and forcefully removing an iron grating or manhole cover from the roadside, is going viral on social media (here, here, and here). The clip is being shared with the claim that the man is a Muslim named Sheik Nazarul. Let’s verify the claim made in the post in this article.
Claim: The video shows a Muslim man named Sheik Nazarul removing a manhole grating from the roadside.
Fact: The video does not show a Muslim man named Sheik Nazarul removing a manhole grating from the roadside. It shows a Hindu man named Amarjit Kamati, who was arrested by Versova Police in connection with the incident. Versova Police clarified to Factly that the person seen in the video is not a Muslim. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to a social media post by Times Now Media, dated 29 August 2025, featuring the same video. It reported that in Andheri West’s Aaram Nagar, a man was caught on camera arriving in an auto-rickshaw, breaking a metal drain grating, and leaving it on the open road within minutes. Residents said such acts put lives at risk and urged authorities to redesign a safer grating. Many also called for stricter action to prevent damage and loss of public property.
To check if any communal angle was involved and to learn about the action taken, Factly contacted the senior inspector of Versova Police Station, which has jurisdiction over Aram Nagar. The senior inspector informed that the case has been registered as FIR No. 703/2025. She also stated that the accused, a Hindu man named Amarjit Kamati, has been arrested and is in judicial custody. She clarified that the person seen removing the manhole grating in the CCTV footage is not a Muslim.
We then accessed a copy of the FIR, which shows that the case has been registered under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), dealing with punishment for theft. The complaint was filed on 28 August 2025 by Vicky Shyamlal Sharma, a junior engineer with the Roads Department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
To sum up, the man accused of removing manhole gratings in Andheri West is Hindu, not Muslim.
