PATHANAMTHITTA: Imagine returning home after a long day out to find there has been a break-in. However, instead of money, jewellery, or appliances, the thieves have decamped with your rice and other food items! This “grocery heist” has been unsettling villages of Seethathode panchayat in Pathanamthitta, bordering the forests of Sabarimala and the Periyar Tiger Reserve.
The mysterious thefts of cooked food and edible items have been a regular affair in Angamoozhi, Valooppara, Kochu Koikkal and Gurunathan Mannu during the monsoon season for the last two years, says panchayat president P R Pramod. This year, a little over a week after the monsoon onset on May 24, one theft has been reported.
Many residents suspected the hand of Maoists due to the area’s proximity to the jungle and the fact that food items were being stolen. However, both the police and the forest departments have denied this.
“There are no reports of Maoists in the area. In places where they are active, they usually make their presence known to local people. Maoists stealing food items is unheard of,” said Goodrickal range officer Ashok A S.
Speculation of armed hunter gangs venturing out into the vast forest lands spanning three districts has also been repudiated.
Thief likely a local: Cop
Despite staff shortage, forest officials monitor the area regularly, owing to the strategic importance of Sabarimala and its border with Tamil Nadu. “Nothing unusual has been observed during our patrols,” Ashok said.
The range officer also pointed out that the thief only targets homes whose residents have stepped out.
“This shows someone who knows the area is behind the act,” Ashok said.
Chittar inspector D Rajagopal said, “Neither Maoists nor hunters are responsible (for the thefts). We believe it’s a local individual who has been living alone in the forest for years, estranged from his family,” he said.
“He shelters in caves inside the forests. I met him several years ago while serving at the local station. Though he is not a criminal, he was involved in stealing food from several houses in the area,” he said.
The panchayat president, too, said the thefts may not be the work of a group but a lone individual.
In the latest incident, a resident whose food items were stolen claimed he also lost around Rs 10,000 in cash. However, the inspector dismissed the claim.