Nearly ₹4 lakh burgled from Poojappura Central Prison-run cafeteria

The Poojappura police have commenced investigation into an alleged theft of nearly ₹4 lakh from the ‘Food for Freedom’ cafeteria run by Kerala Prisons and Correctional Services near the Poojappura Central Prison.

According to the police, the theft is suspected to have occurred late Sunday. The stolen cash was the revenue collected over the last three days, and was intended to be deposited at the treasury on Monday.

Both prison staff and the inmates of the prison are involved in the daily operations of the cafeteria.

Preliminary probe found that none of the security cameras in the area were functioning at the time of the incident. The police also suspect that the perpetrator had precise knowledge of the location of both the money and the keys.

The money was kept inside a room behind the cafeteria, which was locked. The key to this room had been placed in a specific location after the cafeteria was closed. The thief is believed to have used this key to access the room and take the money from a drawer, an officer said.