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Ludhiana: 2 J&K men arrested for illegal transport of sheep on GT Road
The accused, identified as Manjoor Muhammad and Shauqat Ahmed Thakur, were caught near Jugiana village on GT Road while driving two overloaded trucks laden with sheep, more than the vehicles’ capacity
In a case of animal cruelty, Sahnewal police has arrested two individuals hailing from Jammu and Kashmir for illegally transporting 386 sheep from the Gazipur Bakra Mandi, Delhi, in a severely inhumane manner. The animals were being transported to a slaughterhouse in Jammu.
The accused, identified as Manjoor Muhammad and Shauqat Ahmed Thakur, were caught near Jugiana village on GT Road while driving two overloaded trucks laden with sheep, more than the vehicles’ capacity. Police said that the animals were found crammed inside, with no space to move, leaving many of them injured and visibly unwell.
Notably, the incident came to light when Mani Singh, president of NGO ‘Help for Animals’ and his colleague Ankit Jain, found their trucks suspicious, while returning from an animal welfare survey.
According to Mani Singh and Ankit Jain, they were on their way to Ludhiana when they noticed two suspicious trucks from which animal waste was falling onto the road. Surprisingly, the legs of several animals were also dangling from the rear portion of the truck, prompting them to stop the vehicles and inspect the trucks.
Upon checking, they discovered that over 376 sheep were stacked one over the other inside the trucks with barely any space to move or breathe. Many were visibly injured, exhausted, and covered in filth, while some were lying motionless due to suffocation.
Following this, they immediately dialled the police helpline to report the matter. Officials soon arrived at the spot and registered a formal complaint under sections 325 of BNS and Section 11(A) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals act, leading to the arrest of the drivers and the confiscation of their vehicles, Singh said.
Confirming the arrests, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Gurmeet Singh of Sahnewal police station said, “We have arrested the individuals for illegal and inhumane transportation. As per norms, only 50 to 60 sheep are allowed in a six-tyre truck, but they were transporting 176 and 210 sheep, respectively, in the vehicles. The injured animals have been sent for treatment to a government-run cow shelter in Macchiwara. The accused are currently out on bail, but further investigation is underway.”
