EAST CHICAGO | Thieves reportedly gutted two dozen air conditioners in a West Calumet housing complex Tuesday morning to sell as scrap metal.

A Housing Authority maintenance engineer told police he found the condenser units and related copper tubing from 24 external central air systems missing when he arrived for work at 9 a.m.

The thefts were from empty rental units in the 4900 blocks of Larkspur Avenue, Gladiola Avenue, and Jonquil Lane and the 400 blocks of 150th Street and 151st Street, the maintenance man reported.

The loss to the Housing Authority was estimated at $15,000.

Police said the bulbs from outdoor security lights near most of the damaged air conditioners had been unscrewed or removed.

With this year's jump in the price of all metals and local scrap yards currently paying more than $4 per pound for copper, local communities have seen an increase in reported thefts of a variety of materials such as aluminum siding, gutters and downspouts, and automobile catalytic converters.

Ten outdoor central air conditioning units were reported stolen in a single night from a downtown Hammond housing complex in February.