Cattle rustlers flee, leaving behind truck with 6 cattle near Gurugram

Police said their teams are actively keeping a check on the activities of identified cattle smugglers

A team from Nuh police and self styled cow vigilantes allegedly rescued six injured cattle in the early hours of Saturday, from a truck that the police said was carrying the cattle to Nuh allegedly for slaughter. The five persons on board the truck, including the truck driver, managed to flee, they said.

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Acting on a tip-off from self styled cow vigilantes, police formed a team of four and barricaded the Damdama-Abhaypur road in Sohna around 4 am on Saturday.

On spotting the barricades, the driver sped away, and cow vigilantes gave chase, with the police right behind them, for nearly 20 kilometres. But before police could intercept the truck, the suspects fled in different directions on foot, leaving the truck and the cattle behind, said police.

Varun Dahiya, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said before the police team could arrest the suspects, they fled in different directions and managed to escape. “A group of cow vigilantes gave us a tip-off about the cattle transport and we spotted the truck around 4am near Badshahpur. To stop the chase, the suspects threw cows off the running truck and four of the bovines were severely injured,” he said.

Dahiya said their teams are actively keeping a check on the activities of identified cattle smugglers and have asked the cow vigilantes to only share information and not take up the chase themselves. “The suspects have been identified and searches are being conducted to arrest them. They have been involved in similar crimes in the past as well and are currently out on bail,” he said.

The cow vigilantes were members of Narayani Sena cow protection team associated with Monu Manesar, said police.

Mohit Yadav, also known as Monu Manesar, is a cow vigilante and Bajrang Dal functionary, who was recently arrested from Manesar in Haryana, ending an eight-month-long hunt for a man first sought for the murders of two men from Rajasthan in February, and then for allegedly making remarks that were among the triggers for the communal clashes in Nuh on July 31

Puneet Vashisht, a member of the group, said since Manesar went behind bars, their teams are active at night and are keeping a check on vehicles crossing the Gurugram borders. “On Saturday morning, we received information regarding cattle theft. Later, we received the information that the group will take cows straight to the slaughterhouse. We chased down the truck and the suspects tried to run us over but we escaped and rescued the cows,” he said.

Police said instructions have been issued to cow vigilantes that they cannot chase, intercept or raid alleged cattle rustlers without a police team present. “We will conduct investigation if the cow vigilantes involved in the rescue operation members are of the district cow protection force,” said Vijay Partap Singh, deputy commissioner of police, crime.

A case under section 279 (rash driving) and 336 (acting rashly or negligently) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 5 and 13 (2) of Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, 2015, and Section 11 (1) (d) and (k) of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,1960, has been registered against all five.