Goatnapping in MP’s Khandwa: Thieves pull off bizarre livestock heist in busy mandi

Indore: In what could easily pass off as a low-budget remake of “Fast & Furriest”, a gang of goat thieves drove into Khandwa’s vegetable market in a blue hatchback on Saturday afternoon and pulled off a bizarre livestock heist with the confidence of seasoned con artists — and a packet of goat feed. This comes days ahead of Bakrid when goats are already in high demand.

The accused, caught on CCTV cameras, used parked trucks as cover before calmly loading the unsuspecting animals into the car and vanishing within minutes. The bizarre theft has left residents amused, stunned and slightly suspicious of anyone carrying goat feed near the mandi.

The theft took place at the busy vegetable market on Pandhana Road between 12 pm and 12.30 pm. CCTV footage showed the accused arriving in the car, casually parking near trucks and other vehicles as if they were there to buy vegetables.

The men first took strategic positions behind parked trucks to avoid attracting attention. Then came the masterstroke — feeding the goats. As the unsuspecting animals happily walked up for snacks, the thieves grabbed them one by one and stuffed them into the middle seat of the car before speeding away.

Goat owner Shubham Yadav, a resident of Burhanpur Naka area, said his goats usually spent the day roaming around the mandi and nearby streets before dutifully returning home every evening. But on Saturday, the herd failed to report back.

Worried, Yadav began searching for them across the area. When there was no trace of the animals, CCTV footage from nearby shops and the mandi premises was checked.

Kotwali police have launched an investigation and are scanning CCTV footage to identify both the accused and goats.

Kotwali police station in-charge Praveen Arya said efforts are on to trace the car and arrest the gang soon.

Meanwhile, livestock owners in the area are keeping a much closer watch on their goats.