Sometimes, even more than theft, the methods of theft and the exploits of thieves surprise us. One such incident has come to light in Switzerland, where thieves broke open a donation box to steal money, leaving everyone stunned. This donation box was kept at an altitude of 2400 meters, to reach which one has to cross a dangerous climb. It is estimated that only 500 Swiss francs i.e. around 50,000 rupees are present in this donation box.
According to a BBC report, the thieves climbed to a height of 2,350 meters and crossed the gorge on a narrow steel cable. The donation box that was there belongs to the local mountaineering club. Interestingly, reaching here was only for the most experienced climbers.
Switzerland’s longest protected climbing route – the Jemmi Pass above the village of Leukerbad – is known as a via ferrata and is classified as level 5, the most difficult. It involves difficult climbs, stairs made of steep rocks and crossing gorges on narrow steel cables.
The donation box contained 400-500 Swiss francs.
The climbing club wrote on its Facebook page, ‘What kind of people are these? The climbing club takes care of the via ferrata for nothing, we want nothing and now someone has stolen the money donated to maintain it. The donation box was found broken and empty. The thieves were not only good climbers, but also had the tools to ‘force’ open the donation box.
According to a BBC report, the thieves continued to climb to the top of the Doberhorn at 2,941 meters with the money. The climbing club is not sure how much money was stolen, but club member and mountain guide Richard Verlaine told the BBC that the box may have contained at least 400-500 Swiss francs.
Someone sent 500 francs in exchange for the stolen money
The Swiss take great pride in what they do themselves to maintain hiking trails and climbing routes. For such an endeavour, donations are expected from a large section of the population and are gladly given. For now, the climbing club hopes that whoever stole the money will show “repentance” and quietly return it. Well the BBC reports that a local philanthropist sent 500 francs to replace the stolen donation.
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Tags: the thief, World news
First published: August 27, 2023, 18:42 IST