Officers at Mueang Udon Thani police station said they had received complaints from 14 households in the downtown area that their water meters had been stolen, although four of them were found to have been removed but not taken away.
Pol Captain Banchong Patro, deputy inspector at the police station, said CCTV footage showed one person – a motorcycle rider – going from house to house to steal the meters.
The footage showed that the thief had been able to remove a water meter in just one minute with his bare hands, he said.
Banchong added that police had recently received complaints from 136 households in Mueang and nearby districts that their water meters had been stolen.