Police solve theft by allowing buffalo to identify real owner

The case was declared solved when the buffalo was allowed to walk to one of the two men who claimed ownership of the animal.

Police in Uttar Pradesh, India used a unique method to solve a crime reported on Sunday, October 11. A man named Virendra filed a complaint against his former friend, Dharmendra, claiming that the latter had stolen and sold his buffalo. The other man denied the accusation. Confused about how to solve the case, senior sub-inspector Vijayakant Mishra came up with an idea. The buffalo in question was brought to the police station and was allowed to go to either of the men who were asked to call the animal. The case was closed after the buffalo responded to Dharmendra's calls.

Virendra of Ali Nagar in Jalesar town, Uttar Pradesh had gone to a cattle fair. He claimed that at the fair, he spotted a buffalo which had been stolen from him. The buffalo was being sold by a man identified as Muslim of Rasoolabad village. He accused the man of theft. The buffalo owner denied the accusations and the two men ended up in a physical confrontation.

Muslim told the police that he had purchased the buffalo from Dharmendra of Madhav Nagar for Rs. 19k (£200) days before the fair. Virendra told the police that the person who sold the buffalo was his former friend and he suspected him of stealing the animal.

The police summoned Dharmendra to the police station in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh. He denied stealing the buffalo and told the police that the animal belonged to him and he had indeed sold the animal to Muslim.

The conflicting claims left the police perplexed. Speaking to the Times of India, Mishra recalled coming up with the idea of letting the animal find its owner. He told Virendra and Dharmendra to stand on two opposite sides outside the police station. The buffalo was let loose near the men. Both the men were asked to call the animal.

After a while, the buffalo reportedly recognised the calls of its owner. It soon ambled towards Dharmendra, making it clear that it recognised the man. The police allowed the rightful owner of the buffalo to leave with it. The case of bovine theft was closed.