Bakery and Fast Food owner gives 'Meesamadhavan Award'; 'memorable' moment in life for thief

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: What would you do if you caught a thief red-handed? Either you give him a good beating or you hand him over to the police. However, a shopkeeper in Kadakkavoor, Thiruvananthapuram, did something that is unheard of in world history. The shopkeeper, Aneesh, honoured the thief who stole from his establishment, Adithya Bakery and Fast Food, with the Meesamadhavan Award and a shawl.

A man who came to the shop in decent clothes was searching for products when he grabbed an item worth around Rs 500. This was captured on CCTV. Later, the shop owner, Aneesh, saw the footage. This is how Aneesh decided to honour the thief. Aneesh says that there is no point in beating and threatening those who show such 'skill' and steal goods when there are people in the shop.

"He took the item with such difficulty. So we should respect and acknowledge that hardship. I run the establishment by taking loans and borrowing. I get a small profit when I sell an item. If people like this do such things, then I will lose the money from my pocket," says shopkeeper Aneesh. The first thing Aneesh did was to prepare a memento. He put the picture from the CCTV footage of the theft on a plaque. Then he bought a shawl.

In the morning, Aneesh, along with his wife Subha, went to the house of the man who had committed the theft, presented him with the shawl and handed him his award. Aneesh also recorded pictures and a video of the incident. In the video, Aneesh is heard asking the man if he had taken anything from the shop. The video ends with the man saying that he had made a mistake and Aneesh saying that it was no big deal.