Thief grabs more than he bargained for — a bomb

The Herald, July 23, 1994

A THIEF grabbed more than he bargained for when he stole an unattended bag at a railroad station. It contained explosives and other material to make a bomb, police said.

Neighbours said the terrified thief ran down the road yelling “bomb, bomb! I have picked up a bomb”, after opening the bag and finding explosives, batteries and wiring inside.

It happened at Reading, 50km west of London on Wednesday.

Police superintendent Peter Hanks told a news conference on Wednesday night, “The area was sealed off and evacuated. Army bomb disposal experts were called in and have dealt with the bag.”

Police gave few other details. But the BBC reported that the bag was thought to have been left on a platform at Reading station by a passenger travelling from

Manchester in Northern England to Bournemouth on the south coast.

An opportunist passer-by picked it up and took it home.

LESSONS FOR TODAY

◆ Crime does not pay. The thief who stole an unattended bag learned the hard way.

◆ He thought he had made a killing, but was not aware of what was in the bag until he opened it. ◆ What saved his life and that of others is that he was able to realise that there was a bomb in the bag.

◆ The story also speaks into the saying: “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” Many people land into serious trouble due to curiosity.

◆ This bag could have been picked up by an innocent civilian, with no knowledge of bombs. Many Zimbabweans have been killed and/or maimed by landmines they would have innocently picked up as toys. ◆ Most people travelling by air have fallen prey to criminals who “kindly ask” them to assist with this one bag as part of their hand baggage because they would have exceeded their permissible weight on hand baggage. When immigration opens the bag and finds drugs, the real owner will be nowhere to be found. The good Samaritan will be locked up for drug possession.

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