Kautilya's Arthashastra 4.13.9

4.13.9

grāmāntareṣu vā muṣitaṃ pravāsitaṃ vivītādhyakṣo dadyāt //

Whatever of their merchandise is stolen or lost in the intervening places between any two villages shall the superintendent of pasture lands make good. If there are no pasture lands (in such places), the officer called Chorarajjuka shall make good the loss. If the loss of merchandise occurs in such parts of the country as are not provided even with such security (a Chorarajjuka), the people in the boundaries of the place shall contribute to make up the loss. If there are no people in the boundaries, the people of five or ten villages of the neighbourhood shall make up the loss.