COLD CASE: 78-year-old man arrested for stealing 2 buffaloes in 1965

In a surprising turn of events, the long arm of the law has finally caught up with Ganapati Vitthal Wagore, a 78-year-old man from Udagir, Maharashtra. He stands accused of a decades-old crime involving the theft of two buffaloes and a calf way back in 1965 from Mehakar village in Bidar, Karnataka. Ganapati Vitthal Wagore was just 20 years old at the time, and the theft marked him as the prime suspect. This week, he was apprehended by local police as part of their “Long Pending Cases” (LPC) cold case initiative. For Bidar police, this case ranks as the oldest among the LPCs they are currently investigating. Bidar district in Karnataka shares a border with Maharashtra, which likely facilitated inter-state criminal activities during that era. Wagore’s co-accused, Krishna Chandar, who was 30 in 1965, managed to evade arrest and passed away in 2006. Chennabasavanna Langoti, the Superintendent of Police in Bidar, told media that Wagore, the alleged buffalo thief, had been eluding the authorities for many years. Due to his advanced age, it is expected that Wagore will be granted bail. Superintendent Langoti explained, “He was arrested and appeared in court previously, but he absconded after being released on bail…however, an outstanding warrant was still in effect.” Adding to the peculiar circumstances of this arrest, it was revealed that Wagore did not profit from the buffalo theft. According to the police, the buffaloes and the calf were swiftly located in Kurki village, located in the Latur district of Maharashtra, and were returned to their rightful owner, Muralidhar Manikarao Kulkarni. Unfortunately, Kulkarni passed away a few years ago.