Palakkad: The Kerala Police arrested a thief who broke into a hotel near Palakkad last month, cooked and ate a meal there, and stole Rs 25,000 along with other valuables.
The incident occurred on the night of May 22 in Chandranagar, a suburb of Palakkad. The suspect, identified as Shivakumar—a habitual offender from Marthandam near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border in Thiruvananthapuram—entered the hotel after midnight by breaking in through the rear entrance.
Once inside, he went straight to the kitchen. CCTV footage showed him lighting the stove and cooking an omelette from eggs he found. Not satisfied, he searched the refrigerator and cooked and ate raw beef, spending over an hour inside the hotel during his unauthorized stay.
After his meal, he explored the hotel’s premises further and eventually discovered a purse left behind by the owner containing Rs 25,000. He also took a donation box from a nearby temple before leaving the scene.
The following morning, hotel staff discovered the kitchen in disarray, with the partially used beef packet and other signs of the intruder’s presence. Their suspicions were confirmed when reviewing CCTV footage, which showed him calmly cooking, eating, and taking the money and valuables.
A police complaint was filed on May 23, and the CCTV footage was shared with the Palakkad police. Authorities circulated the suspect’s images across neighboring districts. The breakthrough came when Shivakumar was identified and arrested in Thrissur on Wednesday.
He is scheduled to be presented before a judicial magistrate in Palakkad. Police are also looking into connecting him with other thefts reported in the area.