KORAPUT: It was a sight worth witnessing when a cow marched into a police station on October 31 following a complaint by two people who claimed its ownership. Caught at the wit’s end to sort out the issue, Koraput Town police were left with no option but to leave it to the animal to respond to the call by the owners or rush to its cowshed. But the animal did not budge.
On October 31, one Kamala Muduli of Ashok Nagar in Koraput town lodged a complaint with the police accusing Pramod Rout of Upar Sahi of stealing her cow Nagamani. She claimed that Pramod had forcibly tied Nagamani in his cowshed and despite her repeated requests, did not return the animal.
Basing on the complaint, police sent for Pramod who claimed that he bought the cow from Nabarangpur and its name was Laxmi. In a fix, investigation officer Siba Prasad Majhi, asked Pramod to bring the cow to police station. Majhi suggested to set the cow free hoping that it would rush to the owner’s shed. However, the animal did not budge from the police station.
Meanwhile, Pramod claimed that the cow would respond to him if he called the animal by its name. Kamala too said the cow would respond if she calls its name Nagamani.
In a bid to test the pet-owner bond, Majhi told both the claimants to call out their respective names. To the surprise of police and people present there, the animal responded to both Pramod and Kamala when called by different names.
The police then decided to summon the veterinary doctors who were treating the cow in its respective owners’ sheds. The case puzzled the police as vets declared that they treated the same cow in the sheds of Pramod and Kamala.
At a loss for what to do next, the police sent the cow to the shed of another person of Paraja Street until the real owner of the animal was identified. Two separate cases were also registered.
While residents of the town are eagerly waiting to see how police will establish the identity of the cow’s owner, Koraput SDPO Gunanindhi Mallick said the case will be resolved within a week.