Madhya Pradesh Man Held After 45 Years In 1980 Wheat Theft Case

Police in Madhya Pradesh have arrested a 59-year-old man nearly four and a half decades after he allegedly stole 90 kilograms of wheat in 1980. The accused, identified as Salim, had been absconding since the incident and was finally traced during a special drive targeting long-pending arrest warrants in Khargone district.

At the time of the alleged theft, the wheat was valued at Rs 184, with the price fixed at Rs 2.05 per kilogram. Salim was arrested from Bag town in neighbouring Dhar district, where he had been living under a different identity and running a small grocery shop with his son, barely 90 kilometres from the original crime location.

According to police, the case dates back to an incident in which seven people were booked for stealing wheat stored in a field near the Balsamud area. While warrants were issued against all the accused, two managed to flee. Over the years, two of the accused died and four obtained bail, leaving Salim untraceable until now.

Officials said the breakthrough came when police, while searching for another accused with the same name, discovered that he had died. Further inquiries led them to Bag town, ultimately resulting in Salim’s arrest. After being produced before a court in Kasrawad, he was sent to judicial custody.

Investigators quoted Salim as saying he believed the case had faded with time and that authorities would no longer pursue it. However, his arrest has sparked questions from his family, with his wife claiming he was a minor at the time of the alleged offence and alleging financial and legal hardships following his detention.