A police official in Kerala has been suspended after he was found to have stolen about 10 kg of mangoes from a shop in Kanjirappally in Kottayam district. The civil police officer has been identified as PV Shihab, and the incident reportedly occurred while he was returning from duty late one night, when he had stopped at a fruit shop on the Kanjirappally- Mundakayam road. While the incident occurred in August, CCTV footage from the shop recently went viral on social media, after which action was ordered against Shihab.
The CCTV footage shows Shihab stopping outside the fruit shop on his two-wheeler, where a few open boxes full of mangoes were kept. He then gets off the scooter and stands, looking around. He is then seen proceeding to take handfuls of mangoes from the boxes. The video then shows him quickly putting them into the back of his scooter, while making sure no one was watching him, before driving off. According to reports, the mangoes were of a costly variety, with each kilogram costing hundreds of rupees.
Reports state that the mangoes were noticed missing the next morning by the shop owner. Mathrubhumi reported that police were initially unable to identify Shihab, as he was wearing a raincoat and helmet. However, the number plate on his vehicle was traced back to him. After the CCTV footage was made public and shared widely, the local police conducted a probe, and the Idukki Superintendent of Police ordered the suspension of Shihab. Shihab, who is a native of Mundakayam, is attached to the Idukki Armed Reserve camp police unit. He has been absconding since news of the theft emerged. Police have said that an investigation is on and that he will be apprehended soon.