Daring thief cooks, bathes in eatery; flees with cash

Kalpetta: A smart thief broke into a restaurant here, prepared a fine meal, had a good bath and made away with cash amounting to Rs 5,000. The theft took place at Ruchi Mess House in front of the Vellamunda AUP School.

The eatery, operated by a women’s group, was targeted on Tuesday night. The thief apparently went to the kitchen and kept the rice to boil. Meanwhile, he took a towel and soap from the mess and had a bath. He used all the three soaps kept there.

After his bath and meal, the thief took away all the money in the restaurant, including that in the donation box of the palliative care society. There were numerous 50 paise coins in it, but they were not taken.

However, the thief left his knife, a spanner and a lighter near the towel. Several people were present at the nearby public library to watch the world cup football match till early morning. But they did not realise that a theft was taking place in the mess. The women who manage the place noticed the theft when they opened the mess in the morning.

The recent gruesome murder of a newlywed couple took place barely 4 km from this restaurant. According to the police, the murders were committed during a robbery attempt. Another crime has taken place in the area when the probe into the murders is underway.

Vellamunda police reached the restaurant and collected evidence. According to officials, the thief wanted to spread panic in the area against the background of the murders.