Koi fish

Around 400 Koi fish were swiped from a business park pond in June. Apparently, Koi fish have replaced drugs and copper piping as the way to make money from theft. At least, that seems to be the case for two men.

According to the police report, employees of the business park’s businesses said they encountered two men who claimed to be pond maintenance workers checking on the health of the fish. The men reportedly said that they were removing unhealthy fish and leaving the healthy ones behind. They were seen scooping the fish with large nets and placing them into large coolers between 1 p.m., and 4 p.m., on June 8, 9, 15 and 16.

Eventually, employees realized that the men were not who they claimed to be and contacted police.

The fish were stolen from the pond near 2411 Dulles Corner Park in Herndon. The business park houses Northrop Grumman, Park South Deli, TASC, Systems Management Engineering, Chang & Young Inc., and Lockheed Martin Mission Systems, according to several internet directories.

The suspects were described as Caucasian males in their 50s. One was overweight and around 5-feet 5-inches tall. No further description was given about the second suspect. They were wearing sunglasses while taking the fish.

Koi fish can be expensive, with prices ranging from $99 to $499 each at Kloubec Koi Farm. However, PetSmart has assorted Koi fish listed for sale for $5.59 to $11.99 each.

Anyone who saw the people fitting this description on the dates given who were also in the area is asked to contact Detective S.D. Gaydos at the Fair Oaks Police District by calling 703-591-0966, ext. 5004.

By: KJ Mushung

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