Superhero from above

> The Angel of Karma ensures the good and the bad get their just desserts

READER Dhruv Banerjee sent in this story about a robber in the US state of Illinois who bought a car but failed to pay for it.

At the exact moment that he went on a crime spree at the local mall to raise funds, karma arranged for a repossession agent to appear and tow the car away.

Imagine the robber’s face as he ran out of the store to see the tow truck zooming off with his getaway car.

Had he listened, I bet he would have heard chuckling from the nearest cloud, not to mention the delighted cries of a thousand vindicated sitcom writers.

To me, the Angel of Karma is a superhero without the cape and external underpants.

More proof arrived in a second car-related report.

A Texas woman, whose old, broken-down car was stolen by a thief with a towtruck, spotted the vehicle in town a month later.

Police helped her take it back, after which her husband found the thief had fixed the drive shaft and paid for new wheels.

The victim’s husband said he was “very happy”.

These reports reminded me of a case in Malaysia in which a thief parked his getaway car outside an empty house and broke in.

The owners came back and the villain ran away, leaving behind his most valuable possessions: toolbox, keys and car.

He returned to ask for them back. The conversation must have gone something like this: Thief: “I’m the guy who tried to steal your stuff but ending up giving you all my stuff! Life’s funny, right? Ha ha.” Victims: [Grim silence] Thief: “Maybe I should just go.” [Leaves.] Victims: “Woohoo! Let’s check out our new wheels!”

Sometimes, Ms Karma does not go for the big stuff, but works delicately, with the tiniest of nudges.

In Hong Kong in the 1990s, a 20-year-old mugger leapt onto a victim to steal her purse.

In the tussle, the thief lost her own purse, dropping it into the victim’s bag to be carried away.

It was a sort of reverse robbery.

What does it all mean? I think irony now rules the world.

A friend bought a pair of expensive sunglasses and was warned: “Keep them out of direct sunlight.”

My local authority cancelled Kite Flying Day because “high winds were forecast”.

Yesterday, I bought a pair of scissors and it came in a package that could only be opened by someone who already owned scissors.

At least, the Angel of Karma has a sense of humour.

Nury Vittachi is an Asiabased frequent traveller. Send ideas and comments to lifestyle.nury@ thesundaily.com.