Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 5 (IANS): The Kerala Police faced embarrassment after the news surfaced that a civil police officer had stolen a 10kg box of mangoes from a shop.

The act was caught on CCTV placed outside the shop and the policeman caught in the act was in uniform. The mangoes are a costly variety and each kg is priced over Rs 500.

After the news went viral, a probe was done by the local police and the Idukki Superintendent of Police ordered the suspension of the policeman, identified as P.V. Shihab.

The incident happened in August, when early morning Shihab dressed in his police uniform on his two-wheeler stopped in front of a fruit shop on the Kanjirappally- Mundakayam road. With no one around, he is seen taking a box of mangoes and placing it on his two-wheeler and then driving away.

When the shopkeeper came to open his shop, he soon realised that a box of mangoes was missing. He checked his CCTV and was aghast to find a policeman taking the box and driving away.

After the viral news, Shihab, who is attached to the Idukki Armed Reserve camp police unit, disappeared and continues to be on the run.

A case against him has also been registered by the local police.