The Curious Case of Porotta Aneesh: The thief who cooked before he stole

A strange and amusing incident happened at Moon City Hotel in Palakkad on the night of May 21. Staff discovered ₹25,000 and an Apple charger missing. But when they checked the CCTV, they saw something unexpected where the thief had cooked himself a full meal before stealing.

The man was later identified as Shivakumar, also known as ‘Porotta’ Aneesh, a 48-year-old from Marthandam, Tamil Nadu. He got his nickname because of his love for Kerala’s porotta. Aneesh is a repeat offender known for breaking into hotels, shops, and offices across several Kerala districts.That night, he squeezed through a small 25 cm gap in a door, went into the kitchen, reheated beef fry, made an omelette, and enjoyed porottas before stealing the money.

Aneesh has a unique style where he steals small amounts, enjoys life for a few days, then strikes again. He has no permanent home and travels often, making it hard for police to catch him.He was finally caught during another attempted theft in Palakkad. True to form, when the police took him back to the hotel for evidence collection, he said he was hungry. The hotel owner gave him porotta and beef, which Aneesh happily ate.This story is more than just a crime report — it’s a quirky tale of a man whose love for food is as strong as his habit of stealing. His calm cooking session caught on camera adds a touch of humor to the crime, making ‘Porotta’ Aneesh a strangely unforgettable figure.

Read more at: https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2025/06/18/thief-cooks-porotta-before-robbing-hotel.html