KALABURAGI: Forty years ago, when he slipped into an orchard in Aland in Kalaburagi district, to steal a bagful of lemons, Dasharath Paradhi, was quite sure he would never be caught for a theft as simple as this. And never in his dreams would he have imagined he would be nabbed forty years later!
The lemons finally caught up with Dasharath, now a full 70, on Monday when a special team headed by the Aland DySP arrested him from Taj Sultanpur village in Kalaburagi. The team was formed to crack long pending cases including that of Dasharath. The complainant was Shankar Rao Patil, the orchard owner, now long dead, who had registered it in 1976 at Narona police station.
While Dasharath cools his heels in judicial custody, the cops are going about their job with immaculate precision. “First, we learnt that the culprit had fled to Bhimalli village after committing the offence. Subsequently, he shifted to his ‘hideout,’ Taj Sultanpur village”, the proud investigating officer stated.
“The lemons, worth Rs 300 then, were ripe enough for selling in the market’, the officer disclosed, hinting at the gravity of the crime!
