thief

Thief

There is a partially constructed temple on the road to my house. It is a work which has been "in progress" for many years. A large crowd was gathered in front of it this morning, with no masks or social distancing.

Intrigued, I stopped the car.

"What happened?" I asked.

There is a fairly large house down the road. It is constructed in the "old style", with three bedrooms and a kitchen around an enclosed but open courtyard. The summer heat made the family sleep in the courtyard with their bedrooms open.

This year the unbearable heat made them buy air conditioners. The brothers all locked themselves in the bedrooms with their families.

A thief had apparently been scouting the house. He broke in last night.

"A thief got into the house. He climbed in and out via the roof and courtyard "said a bystander.

It was difficult to make out anything because of the cacophony.

" Have you told the police?" I asked. "The thief can't have gone far. The Corona police are everywhere."

The entire battalion set off for the Bagaaym police station, three on each bike, no helmets or masks.

They were stopped at the first check post. The policeman whipped out his "swipe machine.:' His eyes lit up as he calculated the fine collection.

Finally, he realized that they were saying  "thief, and police station." It did not help that all of them spoke together.

"They need to go to the police station," said one of the officers.

The other one said  'We will be questioned about all this. Three to a bike, no mask---"They looked at the youngest and thinnest constable.

"You go and see what happened."

He arrived with the crowd.

One vocal woman told him, " A thief came." She got excited and wiped her sweat with the pallav of her sari. Since that was not enough, she used the mask she was wearing around her neck for good measure. She said proudly, "we bought air conditioners. The rooms were locked. He could not enter."

The policeman was puzzled.

"Then what?"

She leaned forward, "the kitchen was open. He entered that."

Perhaps they kept their jewellery in the kitchen?

"What did he take?" Asked the policeman.

"He took the gas cylinder."

One of the brothers stepped forward helpfully," it was almost empty, so he could carry it easily."

The policeman shouted "donkeys!! you idiots brought me all the way here for an empty gas cylinder? I'll fine all of you for not wearing masks!"

The crowd melted away.

I felt sorry for the thief's wife. In these days of lockdown, pay cuts and job losses her incompetent  husband didn't even bring home a full gas cylinder!"

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