Senior journalists accompanying West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee showed their true colours when they were caught stealing silverware.

Perhaps trying to teach their junior journalists what not to do when accompanying the chief minister of a state on an official trip abroad, some senior journalists travelling with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee embarrassed her, the government of West Bengal and the country, when they were caught stealing silverware at an official dinner in a London hotel.

According to Outlook, when Mamata, who was on an official tour in London and a VVIP guest at a hotel, was attending the dinner, a reporter with an established Bengali newspaper got the bright idea of picking up a set of dessert spoons from the table and slip it in his pocket, which had a domino effect on other journalists present at the hotel.

Journalism is a profession supposed based on honesty and courage and journalists are supposed to bring truth to the people. And what a better way to practice honest and brave journalism than to get inspired from your crook journalist friend and start stealing cutlery from the table yourself? That is exactly what the other journalists did.

Making sure that the entire hotel staff knew, beyond reasonable doubt, that it was not just one rotten apple but an entire group of Indian journalists embarrassing their nation, other journalists also started stuffing silver cutlery in their bags and purses, thinking they will get away with it.

The journalists also get brownie points for intelligence as all of this was being captured live via hidden CCTV cameras.

When the security staff at the hotel pointed out the crime, most journalists returned the silverware but one scribe even refused to admit that he had stolen anything, despite the cameras clearly catching him stealing cutlery.

The report in Outlook added that the journalists were all "senior editors" handpicked by their organisation to accompany Mamata on "this very important tour."