Three cattle smugglers arrested after gunfight in Bareilly forest

Police also seized a country-made pistol, live cartridges, a knife, ropes and wooden sticks from the accused.

: Three alleged cattle smugglers were arrested after an exchange of fire with police in the Alinagar forest area of Bareilly on Monday morning. One suspect and a sub-inspector were injured during the operation.

Police said preliminary inquiry showed the arrested men were allegedly involved in a cow slaughter case reported around a month ago in Sataiya village (For representation only)

Police said they received information about suspicious activity linked to cattle smuggling in the forest near Alinagar village under Nawabganj police station limits. A police team reached the spot and surrounded the area.

As officers moved in, the suspects allegedly opened fire with country-made weapons. Police returned fire, leading to a brief gunfight. During the encounter, Yaseen Khan, a resident of Labheda village under the Hafizganj police station area, suffered a bullet injury to his leg. Sub-inspector Yogendra Singh was also injured after being hit by a bullet allegedly fired by the accused.

Police later arrested Yaseen Khan along with his two sons, Afzal Khan and Ajmal Khan. During a search of the area, officers recovered a bovine tied with a rope, suggesting an attempted act of cattle smuggling. Police also seized a country-made pistol, live cartridges, a knife, ropes and wooden sticks from the accused.