A thief in India was irritated by the lack of cash they found inside the home they burgled. So, they wrote an angry note for the homeowner.
The incident occurred in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district, reported The Indian Express. Trilochan Singh Gaur—the homeowner and a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM)—returned to his home on October 9 after a 14-day trip. When he arrived, however, he found that Rs 30,000 ($400) in cash and some jewelry items were missing.
He also found a note from the thief, the outlet continued.
India TV Editor Anurag Dwary shared a photo of the note to Twitter. According to a translation from the outlet, the note read: "Why was [the] house locked when there was no money, collector."
Police said the thief used Gaur's notepad and pen to write the note, India TV reported.
Unfortunately, crime is somewhat rampant in Madhya Pradesh, according to multiple reports.
Data from Statista revealed that there were about 28 theft cases per 100,000 residents in the state in 2020. The two Indian states with the highest theft rates were Delhi and Haryana, with over 873 and 70 cases per 100,000 people respectively.
The Times of India reported in September that Madhya Pradesh was one of three Indian states with the highest crime rates against children in 2018, 2019 and 2020. And in 2018, the Indian news website The Quint claimed that the state had the third-highest overall crime rate in India.
Still, some social media commenters tried to find the humor in the burglary that took place at Gaur's home.
"Only in India can you get scolded by thieves who break into your home," tweeted Vanicka Arora.
"The agony is terrible!" exclaimed Shailendra Godiyal.
Local media reported that police launched an investigation into the theft and registered a first information report against the suspect.
Strangely enough, this isn't the first time a burglar has left a handwritten note for a victim to find.
Also in Madhya Pradesh this year, a thief—who stole "valuables" from a police officer's home—"left behind an apology letter stating that he was committing the act to save a friend's life and will return the stolen money," NDTV said.
Newsweek previously reported that a thief in Wilmslow, England left a mocking note for a victim after stealing expensive jewelry, an Omega watch and a Hugo Boss bag, among other things.
"[T]hanks for the free stuff, yours sincerely the 'midnight removals,'" the note read.
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Sara Santora is a Newsweek reporter based in Florida. Her focus is reporting on viral social media posts and trends. ... Read more
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