Maha: Four held for robbing villagers by posing as cow vigilantes

Four persons have been arrested for allegedly robbing some villagers by posing as cow vigilantes in Maharashtra's Palghar district, police said on Wednesday.

The incident took place at Gemyachi Met village in tribal-dominated Mokhada tehsil on the night of November 12, said a police official.

The complainants were returning after purchasing cattle for breeding purposes when the accused waylaid them claiming to be ''Gou-rakshak'' (self-proclaimed cow vigilantes) and robbed them of Rs 20,000, he said.

Accused Waman Gavari, Rajani Budhar, Avinash Bhoye and Nagesh Dhondmare were arrested under IPC section 395 (dacoity) on Tuesday, the official said.

Meanwhile, a group of villagers, most of them women, staged a sit-in agitation outside the Mokhada police station on Tuesday, alleging that police were in cahoots with such people and extorted money.

The sit-in was led by local outfit Shramajivi Sanghatana's leaders Seeta Ghatal and Vijay Jadhav.