Lalit Thakur, Rajnandgaon. Action against cattle smuggling is continuing in the state. Meanwhile, a joint team of Rajnandgaon’s City Kotwali police station and cyber cell took action and arrested five interstate cattle smugglers and sent them to jail. 35 cattle, an Eicher truck, a car and five mobile phones have been seized from the possession of the accused. The total value of the material seized from the smugglers has been estimated at Rs 31 lakh.
The police had received information from an informer that cattle were being illegally transported from Durg-Bhilai to Nagpur (Maharashtra) in an Eicher truck and a car was clearing the way ahead of the truck. On receiving the information, the police immediately took action and set up a blockade near CIT bypass and stopped the truck and the car at around 3 am. On investigation, 35 cattle were found in the truck, which were stuffed in the truck without any fodder, water and adequate air.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mohammad Shafakat, Rakesh Sudhakar Sengole, Raju Pal, Indrajit Dahriya and Shailendra Bharti. All the accused are residents of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. During interrogation, the accused admitted to taking the cattle from Kumhari, Durg to Maharashtra, but they did not have any legal documents to transport the cattle. A case has been registered against the accused under the Chhattisgarh Krishak Pashu Parikshan Act 2004. All the accused have been sent to jail on judicial remand.