Sarah Beth Hensley, wtop.com
HERNDON, Va. – Hundreds of Koi fish are missing after Fairfax County police say two men reportedly posed as maintenance workers and stole the fish from a Herndon-area business park pond.
The men allegedly stole about 400 Koi fish from the pond near 2411 Dulles Corner Park on at least four occasions in June. Employees told police two men claimed to be pond maintenance workers checking the health of the fish.
The two men said they were removing unhealthy fish and leaving the healthy fish behind, according to police. The employees observed the pair scooping the fish out of the pond with nets and putting them into large coolers between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on June 8, 9, 15 and 16.
Upon further investigation, employees realized the men were not pond maintenance workers.
The suspects are described as white men in their 50s who wore sunglasses at the time of the thefts. One man was overweight and about 5 feet 5 inches tall. Officials have not released a detailed description for the other suspect.
Police did not release an estimated value for the fish. Steve Koza, with Tropic Bay Water Gardens in Davidsonville, Md., says Koi fish can cost around $6 at a place like PetSmart, while he sells Koi fish for an average of about $30.
However, Koza says some large Koi can cost anywhere from $100 to thousands of dollars.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at (703)-591-0966 ext. 5004, call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, send an email at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637.
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