Stealing signboards: Billion-dollar idea or dimwit’s illusion?

CHENNAI: Ever counted the number of signboards on the road you drive everyday? Well, who does! At least, that is what this man thought before stealing seven of them for some quick money.

According to the police, the 28-year-old man, a resident of Sholavaram, had been working as a mechanic in a private company, before the pandemic ate up his job.

On March 31, a supervisor of a private company who maintains the Vandalur-Minjur stretch on the Outer Ring Road near Kummanur, found that a few signboards were missing and lodged a complaint. “On analysing CCTV footage we found a man removing the signboards after midnight,” said a police officer.

The man had removed seven boards, worth Rs 30,000. The police said, he reached the spot on a mini load carrier, dug pot holes with crowbar and collected the boards before fleeing the spot. The roadside and the centre-median are filled with signboards, and this prompted the man to think no one would ever find out if a few went missing, said the police, adding that the man had admitted that he was addicted to drinking.

After nabbing the man, the police found out that he was temporarily employed as a driver at a private water delivery company and took that vehicle for his stealing spree. He was let go with a stern warning after he returned the signboards, said a senior police officer.