Mangaluru: In a remarkable breakthrough, Dakshina Kannada police arrested a 78-year-old man who had been absconding for 55 years, making it the oldest pending case to be traced in the district.
The accused, CR Chandran, a native of Malappuram district in Kerala, was wanted in connection with a case registered at the Puttur Rural police station in 1970. He faced charges under Sections 154, 155(2) of the Mysore Forest Rules, 1969, and Section 86 of the Mysore Forest Act, related to sandalwood theft.
According to police, Chandran failed to appear before the court after the case was registered, leading to the issuance of an LPC warrant. For decades, he remained untraceable.
He was finally tracked down and arrested at Pullikal in Kozhikode, Kerala, before being produced in court on Saturday.
Police officials confirmed that this is the oldest pending case ever detected in Dakshina Kannada, closing a file that had remained open for more than five decades.