- September 13, 2023
2 buffaloes, a calf & a very cold case: 78-year-old man arrested for theft in 1965 | India News – Times of India
BIDAR: The arrest came long, long after the cows, rather the buffaloes, came home.
Ganapati Vitthal Wagore of Udagir, Maharashtra was just 20, and the year was 1965, when he became the prime accused in the theft of two buffaloes and a calf from Mehakar village in Bidar, Karnataka.
Now 78, Vitthal was arrested on Tuesday, as part of the local police’s cold case project, dubbed LPC, long pending cases. For Bidar police, this was the oldest of the LPCs that they are looking into currently.
Bidar district in Karnataka borders Maharashtra, no doubt creating enabling conditions for inter-state crime.
Vitthal’s co-accused, Krishna Chandar, who was 30 in 1965, escaped arrest – he died in 2006. Chennabasavanna Langoti, Bidar SP, told TOI that alleged buffalo-nabber Vitthal had been playing cat and mouse with the cops for years.
Given his age, Vitthal is likely to get bail: Cops
He (Vitthal) was arrested and produced before the court earlier, he absconded when released on bail…but an open warrant was in force”, the SP explained.
As if his arrest for a crime committed nearly six decades back wasn’t bad enough, Vitthal hadn’t even profited from his law-breaking. As per cops, the buffaloes and the calf were traced quickly, from Kurki village, in Latur district, Maharashtra and were returned to their owner, Muralidhar Manikarao Kulkarni. According to cops, Kulkarni died a few years ago. Vitthal is expected to get bail, police said, especially given his age. But cops will be keeping a close eye on him this time.
Ganapati Vitthal Wagore of Udagir, Maharashtra was just 20, and the year was 1965, when he became the prime accused in the theft of two buffaloes and a calf from Mehakar village in Bidar, Karnataka.
Now 78, Vitthal was arrested on Tuesday, as part of the local police’s cold case project, dubbed LPC, long pending cases. For Bidar police, this was the oldest of the LPCs that they are looking into currently.
Bidar district in Karnataka borders Maharashtra, no doubt creating enabling conditions for inter-state crime.
Vitthal’s co-accused, Krishna Chandar, who was 30 in 1965, escaped arrest – he died in 2006. Chennabasavanna Langoti, Bidar SP, told TOI that alleged buffalo-nabber Vitthal had been playing cat and mouse with the cops for years.
Given his age, Vitthal is likely to get bail: Cops
He (Vitthal) was arrested and produced before the court earlier, he absconded when released on bail…but an open warrant was in force”, the SP explained.
As if his arrest for a crime committed nearly six decades back wasn’t bad enough, Vitthal hadn’t even profited from his law-breaking. As per cops, the buffaloes and the calf were traced quickly, from Kurki village, in Latur district, Maharashtra and were returned to their owner, Muralidhar Manikarao Kulkarni. According to cops, Kulkarni died a few years ago. Vitthal is expected to get bail, police said, especially given his age. But cops will be keeping a close eye on him this time.
