02 April,2026 07:54 AM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya Iyer
The accused (in centre) in police custody. Pic/By Special Arrangement
In a breakthrough driven largely by human intelligence, Trombay police have arrested 72-year-old Popat Govind Vaydande, who had been absconding for 45 years, in an attempt to murder case registered in 1981. The case was recently reopened after a court sought a search report and issued a proclamation under Section 82 of the CrPC, formally declaring him an absconder and directing him to appear - an order he had evaded for decades.
As the probe progressed, police pieced together his past, including multiple offences involving violence, and confirmed he had been externed from Mumbai in 1981. Inputs led them to Shenoli in Satara district, where he had once lived with a woman named Begum.
The accused (centre right) in police custody. Pics/By Special Arrangement
At Shenoli railway station, officers located Begum, now 74, living in a hut under a bridge. A former street dancer, she had separated from him years ago due to his alcohol-fuelled violence. While she could offer little due to her age, her daughter provided a key lead, indicating that he had moved towards the Sangli district.
Police said Vaydande has more than nine cases registered across Maharashtra, along with multiple marriages and a history of violence and alcohol abuse, which often exposed his whereabouts.
The first lead emerged when police revisited 1981 case documents. While no direct trace of the accused was found, officers identified a friend linked to him in PNG Colony, Govandi. Though the man had died, a family member recalled a surname used by the accused as cover and a possible link to Sangli, said PSI Sharad Nanekar, the investigating officer.
With no photograph, mobile number or digital footprint, police worked off minimal clues - a cover surname and basic physical features recalled by a relative. Teams, along with local police and informants in Sangli, began tracing individuals matching the description.
Locals knew him as "mama", a drifter who never stayed in one place for more than six months. He survived on odd jobs at garages and farms, constantly moving to avoid detection.
Acting on the final tip, police reached Ambegaon in Kadegaon taluka, where Vaydande was found resting in a field after work. He was arrested on the spot, and his identity was confirmed using a voter ID card.
