Rice, food vanish from homes along Sabarimala forest fringe
PATHANAMTHITTA: Imagine returning home after a long day out to find there has been a break-in. However, instead of money, jewellery, or appliances, the thieves have decamped with your rice and other food items! This 'grocery heist' has been unsettling villages of Seethathode panchayat in Pathanamthitta, bordering the forests of Sabarimala and the Periyar Tiger Reserve.
The mysterious thefts of cooked food and edible items have been a regular affair in Angamoozhi, Valooppara, Kochu Koikkal and Gurunathan Mannu during the monsoon season for the last two years, says panchayat president P R Pramod. This year, a little over a week after the monsoon onset on May 24, one theft has been reported.
Many residents suspected the hand of Maoists due to the area's proximity to the jungle and the fact that food items were being stolen. However, both the police and the forest departments have denied this.
'There are no reports of Maoists in the area. In places where they are active, they usually make their presence known to local people. Maoists stealing food items is unheard of,' said Goodrickal range officer Ashok A S.
Speculation of armed hunter gangs venturing out into the vast forest lands spanning three districts has also been repudiated.
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