Rajnandgaon, Sep 22 (PTI) Five persons were arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle cattle and 35 bovines were rescued from a truck in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon district, a senior police official said on Sunday.
Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of City Kotwali and Cyber Cell personnel set up a checkpost at CIT bypass Rajnandgaon road and intercepted the truck transporting cattle to Nagpur in neighbouring Maharashtra in the wee hours of Saturday, Rajnandgaon Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg told PTI.
The police arrested Mohammad Shafaqat (43), Rakesh Sudhakar Sengole (43), Raju Pal (45), all residents of Nagpur, and Indrajit Dahriya and Shailendra Bharti (25), natives of Bhilai in Durg district, he said.
The official said the police had received information that a truck carrying cattle would be escorted by a car heading towards Nagpur from Durg-Raipur.
At least 35 bovines, including 22 calves, 12 cows and a bull, were rescued from the truck after the accused failed to produce any documents, Garg said.
The cattle were kept inside the truck, covered with tarpaulin, without any fodder, water or proper ventilation, and the accused told police that the consignment was for Nagpur, he said.
The truck, car, five mobile phones and Rs 50,000 in cash were also seized, he said.
The SP said the main accused, Mohammad Shafaqat, and Pal and Sengole, have cases registered against them in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
He said the accused were booked under provisions of the Chhattisgarh Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act, 2004, and a probe is underway. PTI TKP ARU
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