Cattle rustlers push cows off moving vehicle in Gurugram in a bid to escape vigilantes

The suspects were taking the stray cows for slaughtering to Rajasthan. They started pelting stones at the vigilantes and throwing the cows off the moving vehicle one by one. In all this, they lost control of the vehicle and it overturned. Three of the suspects were injured in the crash and the condition of one of them is critical

Police arrested three suspected cattle rustlers from Golf Course Extension Road after their speeding pickup van overturned on being chased for nearly five kilometres by a cow protection team early Thursday, police said. Three of the suspects were injured in the crash and the condition of one of them is critical as he got caught under the van when it overturned, said police.

One of the suspects got caught under the van when it overturned and is critically injured. Two of the suspects, Iklas and Sharif, have cases of cow smuggling and attempt to murder registered against them in Nuh and Gurugram. (Parveen Kumar/ HT Photo)

The arrested suspects were identified as Iklas, Sharif and Waris, all residents of Nuh, said police.

Police said there were six rustlers in all and in a bid to stop the cow vigilantes chasing them, they started pushing cows off their moving vehicle, one after the other. Police said they threw three cows off the moving vehicle within a kilometre distance.

Police said the suspects picked up four stray cattle from Tigra and Darbaripur village and were fleeing towards Nuh when the cow protection team received information about their movement around 1.40am and started chasing them. After nearly a 5km chase, the driver of the smugglers’ pickup van lost control of the speeding vehicle and it overturned on Golf Course Extension Road.

The police team from Sector 56 and 50 also reached the spot and helped extricate three suspects who got caught under the vehicle.

Sanjeev Balhara , assistant commissioner of police (Sadar), said three teams of cow vigilantes were chasing the cow smugglers on Darbaripur Road in Sector 75.

“When they reached Golf Course Extension Road, they tried to intercept the suspect’s pick-up van but the rustlers rammed the vigilantes’ vehicle and sped away. After a few minutes, they started pelting stones at the vigilantes and throwing the cattle off the moving vehicle one by one. In all this, they lost control of the vehicle and it overturned,” he said.

Balhara said three suspects fled the spot while three were injured after they came under the van. They were extricated by the police and later arrested. “The injured suspects were taken to a private hospital from where one was referred to Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital as his condition was critical. The suspects were taking the stray cows for slaughtering to Rajasthan through Nuh,” he said.

The cows have been shifted to Jhajjar’s cattle shelter, police said.

Balhara said during questioning, the suspects revealed that there are 13 cases registered against Iklas in Nuh and Gurugram for cow smuggling, fighting, attempt to murder, theft etc. and he was declared a proclaimed offender (PO) by the court.

Two cases of cow smuggling, and attempt to murder are registered against Sharif in Nuh. “We have formed teams and raids are being conducted in different areas to arrest the remaining three suspects who fled,” he said.

A case under sections 279, 307, 336, 34, 427, of the Indian Penal Code, sections 13 (2) of the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, Section 11 of The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals Act at Sector 56 police station on Thursday, said police.