strange thefts

STRANGE THEFTS

The lawyer on the criminal jurisdiction comes across many an interesting case. A failed divorce litigation might end up in a murder or assault charge. A fight for water from the tap of the local municipality, if and when released from the water tanks and when found potable, might become a source of criminal prosecution. If these tangible things are not enough, a lawyer can defend a client accused of stealing electricity and if convicted, a truly shocking scenario. A lawyer dealing with those accused of crimes does live in interesting times. It is not known if the narration is entirely true but it is said the customs authorities charged a man under COFEPOSA because he had on his person the business card of a famous lawyer practising on the habeas corpus jurisdiction.

If this is strange, stranger is the theft that occurred in Sweden. In a shoe store at Malmo, Sweden, a complaint had been lodged that a couple of thieves had broken into the shop and had stolen 7 shoes. Stealing a pair is not surprising, what is, is that the thieves had stolen 7 left shoes alone. The theft was considered serious enough to put a detective on work and he caught two persons answering the description. When asked why they had stolen seven shoes which would fit one foot alone, the thieves are said to have replied that they had planned to steal seven right shoes from the neighbouring country of Denmark.

If this single shoe theft is queer, one does not know how to describe the theft that took place in the Royal Oak pub in Southampton. In January 2007, this watering hole was full of customers. One of the customers ordered for a lager beer, excused himself and went to the rest room. This is most certainly not an unusual event.

It was only when the pub was closing down, did the owner realise that one of the urinals that he had installed for the use of his customers had gone missing! The suspect, who is yet to be traced, though a hidden camera had recorded his entry and exit from the toilet, was seen with a bulging bag. The thief had expertly removed the urinal from his fixture and is suspected, to have dumped it into his shoulder bag and walked away with his, now, prized possession. Aren’t the lawyers in Chennai lucky that the condition of the restrooms are such that one cannot stay inside long enough to steal a urinal.

Even if stealing a urinal is strange, the case of Reginald Sedgwick is strangest of them all. Reginald was accused of having stolen a railway station!

The City of Clekheaton is situate in West Yorkshire. It was a mill town like Tirupur and Coimbatore and Manchester. Like these cities, the textile industry faced acute recession. The only difference is while the rest have survived, the weavers of Clekheaton did not. With the fall in business, so did the infrastructure. Then newly created statutory body, The British Railways, decided to cut down its heavy losses. The ways and means of achieving it was left to Dr. Richard Beeching.

Unlike the world’s largest employer, the Indian Railways, which believes in serving, introducing and losing money on existing and new sectors, Dr. Beeching as the Chairman of the British Railways recommended, in 1955, that British railway stations, which were not being used regularly, be closed down completely. The report was implemented with almost all sincerity.

Within a few years, 15,000 kilometers of tracks and 3000 stations were removed from the railway map. The Central Railway station of Clekheaton was one such. After the last passenger train ran across its lines on the 12^th of June 1965; the station was closed down.

A closed down station can be a source of nuisance, both public and private, as seen in many parts of India in general. This affliction visited Clekheaton too. The solution was found in requiring the services of a few demolition men. In august of 1971, British Rail contracted for clearing the site. The contractors were permitted to break down the station, remove the materials, sell it and retain the proceeds towards their remuneration. The contractors were identified and contracts were signed.

To the shock and surprise of the contractors who were gleefully polishing their demolition tools, when they arrived at the station, they found the station was missing. Apart from the two under bridges, all the rest over the ground had vanished. The railways swung into action. A detailed Investigation was launched. It was found the entire railway system - stone, timber, metal, railway track, chairs and even the buffer stops had been systematically dismantled and sold by Reginald Sedgwick. He was tried for this offence but acquitted for lack of evidence!

If the modus operandi and tracing of these thefts are strange, the manner in which John McCain, a sentor in the United States of America treated the thieves of his wife’s credit card is amusing.

In 2004, John McCain's wife learnt that her credit card was stolen nd it was being used by a gang of criminals to make purchases. The criminals went on a shopping spree and a huge bill landed on her table. On seeing the expenditure, John McCain, a presidential contender in 2000, quipped,

"To those men I have only this to say, thank you and God bless you! You were spending a lot less than my wife was!

Would you not agree sometimes a theft can be a blessing in disguise?