Thiruvananthapuram: In these days of rain havoc and lack of work in Kerala, tens of thousands of people have been turned into virtual refugees, standing in queues in relief homes for food. Many who were making a decent living have overnight been reduced to penury.
In these trying times, a person in Kottayam district has apparently been forced to steal. But the ‘thief with a heart’ opted to return half the money to a shop from where he stole the cash.
Local media reported from Chenappady near Erumely in Kottayam district that the man left a note as well, while returning half the money.
“Don’t think otherwise. It is out of sheer desperation that I am doing this. I am returning half of the money along with this letter. I shall keep the remaining amount at the same place within a month,” said the letter.
The man who stole Rs20,000 (Dh1,050) from the store, left Rs9,500 along with his letter at the door of the shop on Monday.
The store owner had reported losing Rs20,000 three days ago. The money was stolen while he had gone home for lunch, leaving the shop open.
On Monday, when he came to open the store in the morning he found Rs9,500 along with the letter from the thief.
Kottayam district, known for its rubber, pepper and coffee plantations and a range of other agricultural products, has been reeling under a commodity price crash over the past few years.
Rubber prices have fallen from Rs240 per kg six years ago, to just over Rs100 at present, and pepper prices have crashed from roughly Rs900 per kg few years ago to around Rs350 now.
There is widespread unemployment in the agricultural sector in the district, and thousands of farm workers are hard pressed for any work, even as the plantation owners are facing the pressure of low returns from their commodities.
The rain fury and the floods have added to the misery. On Tuesday, the Sabarimala area near Erumely was facing flooding after the opening of the gates of the Pamba and Anathodu dams.
