Cow 'protection' group claims they rescued 26 animals from smugglers

A cow ''protection'' group Thursday claimed to have rescued 26 animals and found carcasses of three after catching two vehicles of alleged cattle smugglers following a two-km chase.

The later also filed a police complaint after which police said they have arrested four persons -- Shaukeen, Mushtaq, both residents of Ali Meo village; Imran, a resident of Satputiyaka village; and Aarif, a resident of Machroli village in district Nuh. According to the complaint filed by Sahil, a resident of Mohammadpur Jharsa village and associated with Bajrang Dal and Gau Raksha Dal, their group received a tip that alleged smugglers carrying cattle in a truck and a Tata-407 will come from Delhi on the KMP road and go towards Palwal. ''We put a naaka on KMP with the team members of cow protection cell. It was in Thursday morning around 3:00 am that we spotted the vehicles and tried to stop them but they started running towards Palwal. ''We started chasing them and their Tata-407 collided with the divider and its tire burst. After chasing for about two kilometer, the smugglers tried to escaped leaving their vehicles on the roadside, but we nabbed all four,'' Sahil said in his complaint. A pistol was also recovered from the smugglers, he claimed. Following the complaint, police said an FIR was registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Animal Cruelty Act and the Arms Act at Bilaspur police station. Police said they are questioning with the accused.