China News Service, Beijing, February 1st. Recently, a ridiculous theft case occurred in Mumbai, India. Six thieves were arrested by police for stealing marathon medals. The reason why they stole the medals was that they thought marathon medals were made of gold and were valuable.
According to multiple media reports in India, during the Tata Mumbai Marathon, 162 boxes containing medals were placed in a tent at the Mumbai Stadium venue. Six men stole 22 boxes, totaling about 2,200 medals.
Screenshots from foreign media reports
Currently, these six men have been arrested, three of whom are workers hired by the event organizers. In order to transport these medals, they also called three other friends.
Police described the theft as occurring between 3 a.m. and 11 a.m. It is reported that several workers tried to avoid the sight of the police when carrying items in sacks, and the latter suspected that the sacks contained bodies, and several workers may be suspected of murder. After some inspection, the police found the marathon medal in the sack.
Police subsequently notified event organizers, who also filed charges against several workers. So far, the police have recovered 620 medals. "We are investigating the location of the remaining medals and are interrogating the thieves. We are also trying to find out whether more people are involved in this crime." The local police said.
It is worth mentioning that these medals were originally intended to be awarded to marathon runners who completed the race. Not only did they not contain gold, but their value was very low. The 620 medals recovered were worth 138,000 rupees, or approximately RMB 11,800, with the average value of each medal being approximately RMB 19.
Tokyo Olympics medal style. (Data map)
In various sports events, medals are divided into three levels: gold, silver and bronze. The real meaning is to encourage athletes to constantly challenge themselves and pursue excellence. Therefore, the significance value of medals is often greater than their actual value. Even Olympic gold medals are not always made of pure gold.
As early as 1907, the International Olympic Committee set requirements for the composition of gold medals: modern Olympic gold medals must contain at least 92.5% pure silver and at least 6 grams of pure gold. In other words, the main material of Olympic gold medals is actually silver.
Gold medals from the Athens and London Olympic Games contain 6 grams of gold, and the "gold inlaid jade" medals from the Beijing Olympics contain about 6.5 grams of gold. All medals at the Tokyo Olympics are made from recycled electronic waste, but the gold medal also contains 6 grams of gold.
For athletes, the value of medals cannot be measured in terms of money. They symbolize success and honor and are an affirmation of their efforts. If a medal is not won by oneself, its significance will naturally be reduced. The six thieves will also face legal sanctions due to their greed. (over)