Fish curry, tea & pickles: Thamarassery burglars' unexpected feast

Thamarassery: In an unusual turn of events, robbers who broke into a house at Church Road in Thamarassery in Kozhikode ended up helping themselves to a full meal from the family's fridge after failing to find any valuables.

Using a screwdriver, the intruders forced open the front door of the residence belonging to Varghese and his wife Shanthamma. Once inside, in search of valuables, they rummaged through every room, messing up clothes and scattering household items. However, apart from a pair of 3gm gold earrings, which were fortunately missed by the robbers, there was little else to take.

After a long and pointless search, hunger seems to have taken over. The burglars proceeded to the kitchen, where they found rice, fish curry, and pickles stored in the refrigerator. Using a plastic spoon, they ate the meal, drank some milk, and even brewed themselves a cup of tea. After their impromptu feast, they left the used dishes and glasses on the kitchen table and exited through the same door they had broken in through.

The incident took place in the early hours of Wednesday, the same night that three houses in the Church Road and Vrindavan Estate areas were targeted. In one of these houses, the burglars managed to steal ₹8,000 in cash.

Varghese and his wife were away visiting a relative in Mananthavady at the time of the theft. Another attempted theft was also reported at the nearby home of a resident named Ahmedkutty. Police suspect that the same individual or gang may be behind all the incidents.

While the damage to doors and cabinets left them distressed, they expressed relief that their small stock of gold remained untouched.