After the Dec. 26, 2004, Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that killed over 230,000 people in 14 countries, officials from the National Disaster Management Authority of India decided that installing deep-sea sensors could warn them of an impending disaster. The sensors, run by solar-powered panels, were installed in the Indian Ocean at great effort and cost.
Imagine their surprise then, when the NDMA received information a few weeks later that fishermen venturing out into the sea had not only stolen the sensors, but had sold them to make a bit of extra cash.