Tamil Nadu: Stranded man steals bike to get home, couriers it back to owner

COIMBATORE: A 30-year-old man stranded due to the lockdown, in desperation, stole a motorcycle to get home to Thanjavur. But when Prasanth reached his Mannargudi home, he was told that the bike's owner had sniffed him out. So to avoid any trouble, Prashanth sent the vehicle back via courier.
Around 1pm on May 18, V Suresh Kumar, 34, of Pallapalayam in Sulur, realised that the bike he had parked near his lathe workshop at Kannampalayam Pirivu was missing. After a brief search, he lodged a complaint with the Sulur police. "But policemen told me that they were busy with the Covid-19 prevention work and would start investigation only after the lockdown," Kumar told TOI .
The hapless man decided to take matters into his own hands.
To stay out of trouble, man returned bike
Combing through the CCTV camera footage he collected from the area, Kumar came across a man riding away on his bike. “I transferred the video to my cellphone and approached my neighbours to find out the whereabouts of the thief. Someone identified him as Prasanth, of Mannargudi in Thanjavur district, who worked in a bakery at Kannampalayam Pirivu and was staying in the area with his family. I came to know that he had gone back to his native place,” Kumar said.
Prasanth, who was stranded in the city with his family after the lockdown began, was desperate to return home and had stolen Kumar’s bike. After reaching Mannargudi, he learned that the owner of the vehicle had identified him. To stay out of trouble, he couriered the vehicle to the address on the registration certificate.
Kumar was surprised when he received a call from a courier firm in Sulur on Saturday afternoon. “I am really happy to get back my motorcycle. Though I had to shell out 1,400 as transportation charges, the vehicle is in good condition. I also informed police about the development. I have decided not to pursue the matter further,” he added.