Villagers raid university corn crop

Local villagers reportedly stole crops growing on a university farm in Hunan Province in a raid that ruined student research projects and potentially cost the school millions.

Over the weekend, residents near Hunan Agricultural University had pilfered corn currently being researched in the school’s fields.

Students on WeChat shared photos of the villagers pilfering the fields of their crops.

“Our whole program was all done in vain,” an interviewed student said.

Though security guards were assigned to watch the fields, students say they weren’t much help in staving off the locals.

“They only caught an old woman because she is too old to run fast,” the student said.

Seeds for the prototype stock corn could fetch as much as 10 million yuan ($1.5 million), students said.

One of the researchers saw the fruits of his entire project stolen and now may not be able to graduate, the student added.

The school notified authorities and police are investigating the case.