Thiruvalla: In a bizarre turn of events, a middle-aged woman who stole a helmet from a parked scooter at the Thiruvalla Taluk Hospital premises returned the stolen item to the hospital authorities after realising she had been caught on CCTV. The theft occurred while an official function, attended by Minister K Muraleedharan, was underway on the hospital premises last Saturday.

Caught on camera
Due to the minister's event, the regular parking space near the main hospital building was temporarily cordoned off. Visitors were directed to park their vehicles near the old outpatient building instead. Seizing the opportunity, the woman, later identified as a resident of Niranam Mundanari, walked away with a helmet left on a parked scooter. Unbeknownst to her, the entire incident was captured on the hospital's surveillance cameras.

Quick surrender to escape legal action
Following the incident, the owner of the helmet lodged a formal complaint with the police. As the CCTV footage began circulating and her identity was about to be revealed, the woman panicked. She arrived at the hospital in the morning and handed over the stolen helmet to the nursing superintendent.

Hospital Superintendent Dr Manju Abraham confirmed that she was attending a meeting when the woman arrived. The woman handed over the helmet, left her contact number, and quickly departed the premises to avoid further consequences.