PATHANAMTHITTA: The cemeteries of churches in Mallappally in this district have long been places where families gather in silence to remember those they have lost but that silence has been broken by a different kind of shock.
The granite slabs covering two graves have vanished in consecutive days, leaving behind bare tombs and a community struggling to understand why anyone would target the resting places of the dead.
Two back-to-back incidents have unsettled residents in this town, where cemeteries are regarded not merely as burial grounds but as spaces of memory, faith and family history.
The latest theft was reported from the Mar Thoma Church cemetery in Mallappally, where the granite slab laid over the grave of one member of the Thaikootathil family was found missing. Church authorities have filed a complaint with the police.
The incident came less than 24 hours after a similar incident at the Mar Thoma Church cemetery at Mankuzhipady.
There, the large granite slab covering the grave of the Thannickal family had also disappeared, prompting police to register a case and launch an investigation.
The stolen slab from the Mar Thoma Church measured about six feet in length and three feet in width. According to the complaint, the theft was discovered when people arrived at the cemetery for prayers.
While the granite itself has commercial value, those affected say the theft has left a deeper wound by violating places meant to remain undisturbed.
Police believe the thefts were not the work of a lone individual.
The slabs are too heavy to be lifted and transported without assistance. Police suspect a group was involved and that a vehicle was used to carry away the stolen granite.
Another detail has drawn investigators' attention.
Both thefts occurred at cemeteries without CCTV surveillance, raising the possibility that the locations were chosen deliberately.
So far, police have found no leads in either case and have not identified any suspects. They are also examining whether the two thefts are part of a single operation targeting granite used in cemetery memorials.
For many families in Mallappally, the unanswered question is not only who stole the slabs, but why. Graves, for them, are symbols of remembrance and dignity and they are only perplexed why the final resting places have become the latest targets of apparent human greed.