Fools Gold

 

Fool's Gold: 2,200 medals from the Tata Mumbai Marathon are stolen by thieves

After attempting to steal 2,000 finisher medals at Sunday's Tata Mumbai Marathon, six guys were detained in Mumbai, India, under the false impression that they had (literally) struck gold.

The six guys were employed as laborers to help set up flags and tents over the duration of the race. The Hindustan Times was informed by the deputy commissioner of police that the gang thought the medals had significant worth.

Their elaborate scheme was derailed when some sharp-eyed local police officers noticed them removing bulky boxes from several tents. The Mumbai Marathon medals were found inside the boxes when the cops confronted the runners. According to the Hindustan Times, the guys had filled 22 of the 160 boxes with medals, totaling 2,200, and they were piled into a nearby car. The six people were taken into custody by the police on Sunday and charged with stealing.

Despite the fact that the thieves believed the medals to be made of gold, the majority of race finisher medals are composed of different metal alloys and are not very valuable. The race organizers claim that the medals that were taken are worth 138 rupees, or around $2.

(It's important to remember that even Olympic gold medals, valuable in their are mostly made of silver and then plated with at least six grams of real gold; yet, given the present prices of metals, their market worth is only around $750.)

With over 50,000 runners each year, the 2024 Tata Mumbai Marathon is the largest marathon in Asia and one of the biggest marathons worldwide. Every competitor who crossed the finish line was given a medal, according to the race organizers.