Manhole mystery grips New York – just what are city’s ‘mole people’ up to?

Video of figures clambering in and out of manholes sparks intrigue – and comparisons with crime-fighting turtles

It started in early May. Under cover of darkness, three people pried open a manhole cover in Queens, New York, and clambered down into the sewer.

The incident might have gone unnoticed, but the subterranean quest, which was caught on film, captured New Yorkers’ interest when it happened again, and again, in the same month, with two other groups filmed making their way in and out of the sewer system in Brooklyn. The string of events have seen those involved dubbed “mole people” by the local press.