Milk van overturns, 5 cows killed

West Bengal Police rescued at least 17 cows when the milk van in which they were being transported overturned in Purulia district on Tuesday, an officer said. Five cows were killed and five were injured in the mishap and three persons including the driver and two helpers of the vehicle were detained, the officer said.

West Bengal Police rescued at least 17 cows when the milk van in which they were being transported overturned in Purulia district on Tuesday, an officer said. Five cows were killed and five were injured in the mishap and three persons including the driver and two helpers of the vehicle were detained, the officer said. The milk van overturned on NH 60 near Bishpuria village panchayat office in Hura at around 2.30 pm, he said. ''Locals, who rushed to rescue, noticed that a cow fell off the container and while opening the backdoor of the container found several other cows. They informed us and we found that the container was carrying 22 cows. Five were killed while another five were badly injured,'' the police officer told PTI over the phone. The driver and other two arrested associates claimed that the cows were taken to the city from Bihar's Aurangabad in Bihar for the purpose of farming, he added.

''We have detained three persons for questioning. We are also checking the ownership of the container. The injured cows have been kept in a safe place and treated,'' Purulia Additional Superintendent of Police Pinaki Dutta said.

Police registered a suo moto case under relevant sections for poaching, accident due to reckless driving and criminal conspiracy and prevention of animal cruelty Act.