Enterprising thieves sell fire dept hoses to farmers

Men managed to steal 45 hoses worth Rs 2 lakh before they were arrested on Wednesday

Men managed to steal 45 hoses worth Rs 2 lakh before they were arrested on Wednesday

Bangalore fire officials are struggling to get their stolen fire hoses back from villages in Hasan. G Raju (25) and
M Naveen (23) allegedly stole 45 superior quality hoses worth over Rs 2 lakh from multi-storeyed buildings in Bangalore and sold them to farmers in Hasan.

Firemen are busy scouring villages in the district for the hoses. Following a series of fire breakouts, including one in the Carlton Towers, the fire department had handed over the hoses to the buildings' managements.

Firemen are scouring villages for the hoses that had been stolen from multi-storeyed buildings in the city.

Raju and Naveen were reportedly employed as workers in a garment factory in Bangalore when they noticed the hoses. The accusedu00a0 thought the hoses were ordinary rubber pipes that could be used by their parents in their farms.

After stealing one hose and selling it in Shantigrama in Hasan district, the men realised that it was a quick way to make big bucks.

They returned to Bangalore, stopped working in the garment factory where they were employed and took to stealing the hoses at night.
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The hoses were later sold to their relatives in Hasan. In all, the men stole 45 hoses worth Rs 2 lakh before they were arrested by the police on Wednesday. Raju and Naveen were caught red-handed at Acme Ballet Apartment at Mahadevapura.

Inspector M Mohammed Rafi of Mahadevapura police station, said, "This is their first attempt in our police station's jurisdiction. We are investigating if they made similar attempts in neighbourhoods under jurisdictions of other police stations. Our team is in Hasan to recover the stolen hoses."

Rs 2 lakh
Value of fire hoses sold by G Raju and M Naveen in Hasanu00a0

Rs 4,400
Approximate price of one fire hose

Rs 5,000
Amount for which a fire hose was sold by the thieves