Kerala thief returns stolen jewellery with a note of apology, request to withdraw case

THRISSUR: A thief who stole gold ornaments weighing about 10 sovereigns from a house at Ariyannur in Thrissur returned eight sovereigns from them, with an apology and a request to the owner to withdraw the case. The family alerted the police, who seized and submitted the ornaments to the court.

The theft took place at the house of Pokkakkillath Kunjumuhammed on Friday night. Two bangles, as many chains and three sets of earrings were stolen from the cupboard of a room on the upper floor. Kunjumuhammed’s daughter Bushra P K and her husband, Aboobacker Muhammed Rafi, were sleeping in the next room.

The exit door on the upper floor was not closed, through which the thief is suspected to have entered the house. CCTV cameras captured almost all his actions after entering the room. Even his face is clear in the visuals.

Bushara searched for her earring the next morning when she was getting ready to go to the hospital where she isworking. When she realised that it was missing, family members scanned CCTV visuals and realised the theft. They soon alerted police, who carried out a search in the house and its surroundings with the help of fingerprint experts and a dog squad.

When Rafi and his son opened the front door of the house on Monday morning, they noticed a gunny bag in the sit-out.

“We were puzzled. We never thought the plastic sack contained the stolen items. When we opened it, we were surprised to see one chain, two bangles and two sets of earrings. The note he kept in the sack stated that he sold ornaments weighing two sovereigns,” Rafi said.

The video had gone viralafter some local television channels reported the theft and the fear that his identity would be revealed soon must have prompted the thief to return eight sovereigns, he said. “We still want to pursue the case. We are yet to get back ornaments weighing two sovereigns. Also, a person who had the audacity to break open a house where people are staying and lift gold should not go unpunished,’’ Rafi said.

Guruvayur ACP V Suresh also said the police would pursue the case to its logical conclusion. “There is no legal provision for a compromise in a theft case. The accused is absconding and we are after him,” the ACP said. The family will have to approach court to get back their ornaments.