KOCHI: In a throwback to the 2007 Malappuram gold heist, where burglars famously drilled through the floor of Kerala Gramin Bank to steal 80kg of gold, a thief in Aluva recently tried the same tactic – this time, to steal coconut oil. Though the digging attempt failed, he still managed to escape with 30 litres of oil.With cooking oil prices soaring ahead of Onam later this month, coconut oil is being treated almost like a luxury item & grocery stores have started locking it up like treasure. In recent weeks, the price of coconut oil in Kerala has nearly doubled from around Rs 260 to over Rs 500 a litre.When grocery store owner Ayoob Puthanpurayil arrived at his shop in Ernakulam on Sunday, he found it ransacked. Thirty one-litre bottles of virgin coconut oil, priced at Rs 600 each, were missing, along with a few packs of gingelly oil, apples, and milk.“There was Rs 5,000 in the register and even a charity box – both untouched,” he said. “The real loss was oil. It was worth three times more.”The thief had tried to dig in through the sand behind the shop – a floor-level break-in attempt reminiscent of the Malappuram heist – but was thwarted by a plywood sheet installed to block rats. He eventually broke in through a narrow back door, likely limiting how much he could carry.“He must have worked for hours in low light to get that far,” Puthanpurayil said. The shop was locked on three sides, one out of view from the road.Evidence showed the thief lingered inside. Curd packets were opened and partly eaten; empty water bottles lay scattered. Puthanpurayil said it was the fourth such attempt in the area. Though he had CCTV footage, he didn’t pursue a case as police kept citing procedures. Police said no formal complaint was filed.