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Economic Times
08-08-2025
- Economic Times
Kerala: Thief leaves cash and valuables, steals coconut oil instead
Synopsis A grocery store in Aluva, Ernakulam, was burgled on Sunday. The thief stole cooking oil and food items. Surprisingly, the thief left ₹5000 untouched in the cash and charity boxes. Virgin coconut oil was the main target, prices have doubled ahead of Onam. The thief gained entry through a narrow back door. AI generateed image A grocery store in Aluva, Ernakulam, was burgled early Sunday, with the thief targeting only cooking oil and a few food items while leaving behind ₹5000 in both the cash and charity boxes. According to a report by TOI, the shop owner Ayoob Puthanpurayil discovered the break-in upon opening his store and found that 31 one liter bottles of virgin coconut oil were missing, along with a few bottles of gingelly oil, apples, and milk. With Kerala preparing to celebrate Onam later this month, prices of cooking oils, especially virgin coconut oil, have nearly doubled. TOI reported that the price of virgin coconut oil has risen from ₹260 to over ₹500 per liter. Ayoob told TOI that each stolen bottle was worth ₹600, putting the total loss from the coconut oil alone at approximately ₹18600. He added that the theft of the oil represented a bigger loss than the cash in the shop, secured on three sides and largely out of public view. TOI reported that the thief first attempted to dig through the sand-filled shop behind the store but was stopped by a plywood sheet installed to deter rats. The intruder eventually gained entry through a narrow back door, likely restricting how much could be carried to Ayoob, CCTV footage showed the thief lingering inside the shop for an extended time. TOI stated that several curd packets were found opened and half eaten, with empty water bottles lying around. TOI reported that Ayoob had CCTV footage of the incident, but police allegedly refused to take action, citing procedural requirements. Meanwhile, police stated that no formal complaint was filed. This was the fourth attempted burglary reported in the area, according to the same report. The break-in has drawn comparisons to the Malappuram gold heist in 2023, where thieves drilled through the floor of a Kerala Gramin Bank branch and stole 80 kilograms of gold. That incident also took place in Aluva and involved similar planning and access tactics, TOI noted.
Time of India
08-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Thief scoots with 30 bottles of coconut oil in Kerala; ahead Of Onam, grocery stores hoard it like treasure
KOCHI: In 2007, burglars famously drilled through the floor of Kerala Gramin Bank in Chelembra, Malappuram, to steal 80kg of gold. Nearly two decades later, a thief in Aluva tried the same technique - but instead of gold, he was after coconut oil. With coconut oil price soaring this Onam and being treated almost like a luxury item, even grocery stores have started locking it up like treasure. In recent weeks, the price of coconut oil in Kerala has nearly doubled from around Rs 260 to over Rs 500 per litre. When grocery store owner Ayoob Puthanpurayil arrived at his shop on Aluva-Perumbavoor route on Sunday morning, he found it ransacked. Thirty one-litre bottles of premium virgin coconut oil, each priced at 600, were missing - along with half a dozen packs of gingelly oil, a box of apples and 10 milk packets. "There was Rs 5,000 in the cash register and even a charity box in the shop - both untouched," said Puthanpurayil. "The real loss was the stolen oil. It's worth three times more." The thief had tried to dig his way in through the sand behind the shop, attempting a floor-level break-in reminiscent of the Chelembra gold heist. But the plan was foiled by a thick plywood sheet installed to block rats. "He must have worked for at least a couple of hours in low light to get that far," said Puthanpurayil. The shop is locked on three sides and one of those sides is out of view from the road - that's where the thief broke the lock and slid the door open. But the entrance was narrow and that likely limited how much he could carry out. In response to the break-in, Puthanpurayil upgraded security at the store. "Earlier, all three doors had locks on the outside. Now, they're installed inside and one main lock is visible from the road. Cutting it in full view won't be easy," he said. He also mentioned that this was not the first incident in the area. "There have been three similar attempts recently. This time too, the police response was lukewarm. Even though I had CCTV footage, I didn't push to file a case - they kept talking about procedures," he said. Aluva police claimed it never received a formal complaint. Evidence suggested the thief had lingered in the shop. Curd packets were opened and partially consumed and empty mineral water bottles were found on the floor. "He even abandoned a bag that he couldn't carry out - it had oil packets and soft drinks," said Puthanpurayil. On Thursday, state govt announced that coconut oil would be sold at a subsidised rate of Rs 457/L through SupplyCo outlets starting next Monday. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and s ilver prices in your area.
Time of India
07-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Pre-Onam heist: Coconut oil stolen, cash left untouched
KOCHI: In a throwback to the 2007 Malappuram gold heist, where burglars famously drilled through the floor of Kerala Gramin Bank to steal 80kg of gold, a thief in Aluva recently tried the same tactic - this time, to steal coconut oil. Though the digging attempt failed, he still managed to escape with 30 litres of oil. With cooking oil prices soaring ahead of Onam later this month, coconut oil is being treated almost like a luxury item & grocery stores have started locking it up like treasure. In recent weeks, the price of coconut oil in Kerala has nearly doubled from around Rs 260 to over Rs 500 a litre. When grocery store owner Ayoob Puthanpurayil arrived at his shop in Ernakulam on Sunday, he found it ransacked. Thirty one-litre bottles of virgin coconut oil, priced at Rs 600 each, were missing, along with a few packs of gingelly oil, apples, and milk. "There was Rs 5,000 in the register and even a charity box - both untouched," he said. "The real loss was oil. It was worth three times more." The thief had tried to dig in through the sand behind the shop - a floor-level break-in attempt reminiscent of the Malappuram heist - but was thwarted by a plywood sheet installed to block rats. He eventually broke in through a narrow back door, likely limiting how much he could carry. "He must have worked for hours in low light to get that far," Puthanpurayil said. The shop was locked on three sides, one out of view from the road. Evidence showed the thief lingered inside. Curd packets were opened and partly eaten; empty water bottles lay scattered. Puthanpurayil said it was the fourth such attempt in the area. Though he had CCTV footage, he didn't pursue a case as police kept citing procedures. Police said no formal complaint was filed.
