A viral social media trend has unexpectedly helped police solve a 45-year-old theft case in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain. A woman who allegedly stole a necklace from a goldsmith’s shop nearly five decades ago was identified after she shared a photo of herself as part of the popular “80s trend” on social media.
According to the details of the case, the theft took place around 45 years ago at a goldsmith’s shop in Ujjain. A necklace was allegedly stolen from the shop, but the person responsible could not be identified or traced at the time.
The woman allegedly changed her name after the incident and continued living her life without being linked to the old case. Decades later, she participated in the viral 80s trend that recently gained popularity on social media.
As part of the trend, she edited her photograph to give it an old-fashioned 1980s-style appearance and posted the picture online. However, the post reportedly caught the attention of the goldsmith whose shop had been robbed nearly 45 years earlier.
The goldsmith allegedly recognised the woman from the photograph and approached the police, claiming that she was the same person who had stolen the necklace from his shop decades ago.
Following the complaint, police reopened the old case and began investigating the woman’s identity and the circumstances surrounding the theft. Officers questioned her about the incident as part of the renewed investigation.
During questioning, the woman reportedly admitted that she had committed the theft 45 years ago. Police are now continuing the investigation into the case and the circumstances surrounding the decades-old crime.
The unusual case has attracted attention because a social media trend, which was intended to recreate the look of the 1980s, unexpectedly helped bring an old theft case back into the spotlight.
The incident also shows how photographs and social media posts can sometimes help identify people in long-pending cases. What began as a simple viral trend ultimately helped investigators revisit a case that had remained unresolved for decades.

