Minus the hyperbole/sarcasm with the dollar amounts and time period, yeah - pretty much. Opportunity cost is the primary driver of these moderately profitable but high risk crimes, and the amount you earn from a regular job will steadily shrink when compared to the amount you could earn by stealing 10 miles of chain-link fencing.
I also think that "multi million dollar theft" is a great exaggeration here - the amount stolen appears to be about 500 tonnes. Assuming that 80% of that is pure Iron, the price would actually be about $36,000. It would certainly not be worth doing for someone born in the U.K. with the skills of a tradesman, but it's worth it in India and may be worth it in the future for people over here too.
I also think that "multi million dollar theft" is a great exaggeration here - the amount stolen appears to be about 500 tonnes. Assuming that 80% of that is pure Iron, the price would actually be about $36,000. It would certainly not be worth doing for someone born in the U.K. with the skills of a tradesman, but it's worth it in India and may be worth it in the future for people over here too.