For nearly three decades, a set of regulars dropped by a small grocery shop near Kottayam town - not to buy but to steal. They visited often, apparently taking advantage of the shop's location. And once the shop was moved a few metres from its original location, the robberies stopped.

The shop was then named Thazilla Kada, which means the Lockless Shop, because of the repeated robberies. The irony was that the shop actually had locks.

It was 50 years ago that a man named Kutty opened the small store at Kaduvakkulam junction. The shop sold produce sourced from local farmers, including tapioca, bananas, vegetables and fruits, along with other daily essentials.

Kutty would lock up the store every night and return home. Yet, when he came back the next morning, many of the items would be missing.

“The old store was by the roadside. My father would lock it every night and come home, but the next morning nothing would be there. This happened every year,” said Baiju, Kutty's son.

Fed up with the robberies, Kutty eventually named the shop Thazilla Kada — the Lockless Shop.

Byju said they even complained to the police, but to no avail, and the thefts continued. This went on for 30 long years.

However, 20 years ago, Kutty decided to change the location of the shop. From one end of the Kaduvakkulam junction, where the bus stop building is located, the shop was moved to the opposite side.

“After the shop was moved, the robberies never happened,” said Byju. However, Byju does not have a definitive answer as to why robbers have avoided the shop at its present location.

Today, Byju runs the store along with his wife, Bindhu. The shop is their sole source of livelihood, and both say that the income from it has helped them look after their home and educate their children.

However, for the locals, apart from everyday groceries, the shop sells a unique item — lime juice. “The shop is open till midnight. Whenever I return home, it's open. I stop to have a glass of lime juice here. It's very good,” said a local.

At first glance, there is nothing unusual about the drink. But regular customers swear by its taste, and some people now visit the shop specifically for it.

When asked whether there is any secret ingredient behind the lime juice, Byju laughed. “There is no secret ingredient that we add,” he said.

His wife, Bindhu, added that they sell the juice with love. “We try to give our customers the best,” she said.

“We select the best lemons, the best sugar and the best soda available in the market,” Byju said, adding that this may be the reason why customers keep coming back.

The lime juice has gradually become one of the shop’s biggest attractions. The shop used to function from 5am in the morning until midnight a few months ago. However, it now closes at 10pm after opening around 7am. “I am getting old. How can I stay that long?” Byju said with a laugh when asked why he closes the shop early.