Fool’s gold: thieves swipe 2,200 medals from Tata Mumbai Marathon

Six men have been arrested in Mumbai, India, after attempting to steal 2,000 finisher medals at Sunday’s Tata Mumbai Marathon, under the mistaken belief that they had (literally) struck gold.

The six men were hired as labourers to assist in installing tents and banners along the race course. The deputy commissioner of police informed The Hindustan Times that the group believed the medals held substantial value.

Their grand plan hit a speed bump when a few eagle-eyed local police officers caught them hauling large boxes out of various tents. Upon confrontation, the officers found that the boxes contained the Mumbai Marathon medals. The Hindustan Times reported that the men had accumulated 22 of the 160 boxes, totalling 2,200 medals, which were loaded into a nearby vehicle. The police arrested the six individuals involved on Sunday, charging them with theft.

Contrary to the thieves’ assumption that the medals were made of gold, most race-finisher medals are made from various metal alloys, and have minimal value. According to race organizers, the stolen medals have a value of 138 rupees (around $2).

(It’s worth noting that even Olympic gold medals, while priceless in their significance, are primarily composed of silver, then plated with a minimum of six grams of actual gold, but their market value is only around $750, based on current metal prices.)

No city like Mumbai on the third Sunday of January. The Mumbai marathon is not just a sports event but a movement.. to have nearly 60,000 people running.. raising more than 60 crores in charity. This is what REAL India is about (or ought to be) : putting the common citizen and… pic.twitter.com/AhIK0478NQ

— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) January 21, 2024

The 2024 Tata Mumbai Marathon is one of the biggest races globally and holds the distinction of being the largest marathon in Asia, attracting more than 50,000 participants annually. The race organizers confirmed that every participant who crossed the finish line ended up receiving a medal.