Pavement dwellers turn ‘parking attendants’: Two booked in south Mumbai

On Tuesday, the accused were found charging private vehicle owners ₹150 per hour at parking lot number 2 near Hutatma Chowk. They were seen issuing receipts labelled ‘VALETAG’

MUMBAI: Two pavement dwellers were booked on Tuesday for cheating motorists near Hutatma Chowk on DN Road in south Mumbai, after a patrol team from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) found them collecting parking fees from vehicle owners from a parking lot where no charges were applicable.

Pavement dwellers turn ‘parking attendants’: Two booked in south Mumbai

According to the first information report (FIR) registered at MRA Marg police station, accused Amit Manoj Soni, 18, and Krish Kaushal Kishor Gupta, 18, are originally from Satna district in Madhya Pradesh and they currently reside on the footpath opposite a hotel on DN Road.

The duo was found charging private vehicle owners ₹150 per hour at parking lot number 2 near Hutatma Chowk. They were seen issuing receipts labelled ‘VALETAG’ and collecting money from motorists; two vehicle owners too approached BMC officials on the spot, claiming they had been charged for parking, the FIR said.

The facility was earlier operated by a private agency, which collected parking fees, BMC officials said. It was made free last year, when the BMC chose not to renew contracts with 24 private parking contractors over allegations of corruption and overcharging, they clarified.

When BMC officials questioned the duo about unauthorised collection of parking fees, they gave evasive answers. This prompted the officials to alert the police. Subsequently, officers from MRA Marg police station reached the spot, took the duo into custody; complainants were also taken to the police station to support the case, officers familiar with the matter said.

Tuesday’s incident is the latest in a series of instances of unauthorised parking fee collection across south Mumbai.

On June 1, 2025, the BMC conducted a sting operation in Kala Ghoda, which exposed rampant overcharging and unscrupulous practices by parking attendants and contractors. The findings prompted the BMC to not renew contracts with 24 private parking contractors in south Mumbai. Parking lots operated by these agencies, including the one where the two accused were nabbed on Tuesday, have since been made free.