Tirunelveli: In a bizarre incident, a burglar who broke into a house in the early hours of Wednesday left behind a note complaining that there was no money to steal and advising the owner to keep cash at home for his “next visit.”

According to police, the house belongs to 57-year-old preacher James Paul, who lives alone in Tirunelveli city. His daughter, who works at a bank in Madurai, resides there with her mother, and Paul had recently travelled to Madurai to stay with them.

On Tuesday night, Paul checked the CCTV camera feed on his mobile phone and found it working. However, the connection appeared to be disrupted when he checked again on Wednesday morning. Growing suspicious, he alerted neighbours, who rushed to the house and found the front door broken, sources said.

Paul returned home immediately and discovered that a bureau had been forced open, and a piggy bank and purse were missing. In his complaint to the police, he reported that cash had been stolen.

While police were collecting fingerprints and other evidence, they recovered a handwritten note allegedly left by the intruder. The message read:

“There is not even a single rupee in your house. Why so many cameras for this? Next time, keep at least some cash so that thieves like me do not get disappointed. Sorry. Yours, thief.”

Police have seized the note and are analysing CCTV footage from nearby locations to identify the suspect.