Residents from landslide-ravaged villages in Kerala’s Wayanad district have reported thefts from their abandoned homes, leading to increased police night patrols. Displaced residents believe opportunistic thieves are exploiting the region’s severe humanitarian crisis to steal valuables.
Many affected individuals have called on authorities to identify and punish those entering the area at night to steal.
We have lost everything in this tragedy, one survivor told reporters. We left our homes for safety during the landslide and returned to find our doors broken open. Thieves even targeted our resort room, stealing our clothes.
In response, authorities announced increased police patrols in disaster-hit areas like Chooralmala and Mundakkai. Action will be taken against anyone entering affected areas or homes without permission at night, the statement read. No one is allowed into these areas without police permission, even for rescue operations.
As rescue efforts in Wayanad entered their fifth day, search teams discovered more bodies, raising the death toll to 215, with 206 people still missing.
