Police baffled by a thief targeting onions, pulses instead of gold, cash

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A thief has been repeatedly breaking into the PWD canteen at PMG and stealing only kitchen supplies. The police are struggling to identify and apprehend the burglar, whose repeated thefts were first noticed about two months ago.

The thefts take place on Saturdays. Since the canteen remains closed on Sundays, the theft is discovered only when employees arrive on Monday morning. Oil, spices, pulses, onions, pepper and other kitchen supplies are being stolen. Employees say goods worth around Rs 4,000 are lost every week. However, the thief does not steal cash or other valuables from the canteen.

The thief uses the key kept inside the canteen building to gain entry. Wearing a helmet, he turns the CCTV camera away before carrying out the theft and restores it to its original position before leaving. After the thefts became frequent, the canteen owner once arrived while the thief was inside and locked the door from outside. However, he escaped after breaking the window of the ladies' room inside the canteen. CCTV footage has captured several moments, including the thief falling during the theft. However, the footage has not been clear enough to identify him.