Unconventional Heists: The Bizarre World of Theft and Robbery

Robbery, heist, dacoity, theft, and stealing are all forms of criminal activity that involve the unlawful taking of property or cash.

While bank robberies often receive more attention and publicity, other bizarre incidents also occur and are equally condemnable by a civilised society.

Recently, several alarming and interesting news reports have emerged regarding such incidents.

Bihar has experienced a baffling theft involving the mysterious disappearance of an entire pond in the Darbhanga district. This pond, which was reportedly publicly owned and commonly used for activities such as fishing, has vanished and has been replaced by a hut, leaving residents bewildered, according to news reports. The sudden appearance of the hut in place of the pond prompted locals to alert the police. According to reports, the land mafia, accused of filling in the pond to illegally seize the land, had already fled by the time law enforcement arrived. Residents reported that the pond, which was once a valuable community resource, became a target due to rising land prices in Darbhanga. Despite community efforts and temporary interventions by local officials to stop the pond's filling, the land mafia continued their work secretly under the cover of darkness, ultimately leading to the pond's destruction. Authorities had previously visited the site and confiscated some equipment; however, according to police officials, the offenders continued their operations at night. (NDTV/Economic Times - Jan 2024)

Bihar has gained notoriety for unusual thefts committed by individuals, one of the most notable being the theft of an entire diesel engine, taken piece by piece from a railway yard in the Begusarai district. The thieves dug a tunnel to access the yard, gradually dismantling and stealing parts of the engine that had been brought there for repairs.

The case came to attention after a report was filed at the Barauni police station regarding the theft of a diesel engine that had been brought to the Garhara yard for repairs. The police recovered some of the missing parts from a gang involved in unbolting steel bridges and stealing their components.

In a separate incident last year, a railway engineer from the Samastipur Loco Diesel Shed faced suspension for allegedly selling an old steam engine that was located at the Purnea court premises. The engineer reportedly used a forged letter from the divisional mechanical engineer of Samastipur and collaborated with other railway officials and security personnel to facilitate the sale of the engine!.(KalingaTV/India Post -July 2022 )

Thieves in Bihar are making a big catch and are robbing things that are beyond imagination. After swindling an entire rail engine, robbers have now stolen an entire 50-metre-high mobile tower worth Rs 19 lakh from Patna. The thieves posed as officials of the service provider GTPL Hathway Limited, who had installed the tower on the terrace of a house of a person named Lalan Singh in Yarpur Rajputana colony in the Gardanibagh area of Patna. Singh said that a group of people came to him posing as officials of the mobile company and allegedly said that the firm was incurring massive losses; therefore, they had planned to remove the mobile tower. He then allowed people into his house without verifying. How did they manage to steal a mobile tower? In a complaint, it was stated that a gang of thieves comprising 25 individuals came equipped with gas cutters and other required tools. The thieves dismantled the entire tower and loaded the parts into the truck before stealing it away. According to reports, the tower was installed about 15 years ago by the Aircel mobile company and the monthly rent was fixed at Rs 10,000 at the time of installation. After Aircel shut down, GTPL took the tower. How did the robbery come to fore? The robbery came to light when officials reached Lalan Singh’s house to inspect a “malfunctioning” tower. When they arrived, they were left surprised that there was no mobile tower on the spot. They then registered a complaint with the Gardnibagh police, and the search to trace the robbers was initiated.(CNBC/Pune Mirror-  Jan 2023)

Criminal incidents like these, and many others, occur in various states. The cases mentioned here are just a glimpse into a broader picture.

Here are some more interesting events happening on the world stage for your reading enjoyment.

Bars and restaurants that stay open late at night are nothing new. There are all kinds of restaurants with outdoor seating all over the world. If the weather is good, you can sit outside and enjoy your meal. Sometimes, late at night and after the guests have left, the tables and chairs are left outside the restaurant.

Thieves also know of these facilities. They might also be among those who dine out at night. When they enjoy good food, some interesting ideas come to their minds. That's how they discover the potential for theft of outdoor tables and chairs.

In a surprising turn of events, restaurant and bar owners across Spain have discovered they are missing a key piece of furniture: their dining chairs. Spain's National Police have arrested seven individuals accused of stealing over a thousand chairs from outdoor seating areas across Madrid and nearby municipalities, according to a report by the Associated Press.

The group - six men and one woman - allegedly targeted restaurants and bars in Madrid and Talavera de la Reina, a smaller city southwest of the capital. In just two months, they reportedly stole around 1,100 chairs from 18 different establishments. The total value of the stolen property is estimated at 60,000 euros (approximately Rs 61 lakh). The goods must be original.

According to police, the stolen chairs were resold not only within Spain but also shipped off to buyers in Morocco and Romania. Authorities believe the operation was well-organised, with the group functioning as a coordinated criminal network.

A study conducted in Britain found that, on average, 53% of books were stolen from bookstores. The Bible, which teaches us not to steal, is the most stolen book. Many hotels have a tradition of leaving a Bible in the room. The question arises as to whether guests taking the Bible when they leave is theft or a desire to read it later. Interestingly, the Guinness Book of World Records has noted that the most frequently absent book from a U.S. library shelf is the “Guinness Book of World Records”!

Expensive books were chained to the corners in libraries. Books could be read sitting there. They could not be removed. In those days, when superstitions were rampant, the last or first page of the book warned that anyone who took it would be struck by lightning. It also stated that if a thief stole it, the book would soon transform into a snake, along with other ominous predictions.

Published in 2005, "The Book Thief" is a novel by Australian author Markus Zusak that gained immense popularity. The book portrays the atrocities committed by the Nazis in Germany. "The Book Thief" has sold 17 million copies and has been translated into 63 languages. In 2013, it was adapted into a film of the same name.