Three people were arrested after police rescued 32 cattle during a vehicle checking operation in Odisha’s Koraput district on Friday.
The accused were identified as Kasim Khan (26) from Kunduraguda village in Koraput district, and Puntu Nag (22) and Badal Anil Kumar (31), both residents of Hyderabad.
According to police, officers stopped two vehicles during an early morning naka checking drive under the Jayapur Town Police Station limits. One was an SUV believed to be acting as an escort vehicle, while the other was a truck transporting cattle.
During the inspection, police found 27 cows and 5 bullocks inside the truck. The accused could not produce valid documents for transporting the animals.
Officials also found that the cattle had been tied in a cruel manner and several had visible injury marks, suggesting they had been mistreated during the journey. After verification, police confirmed that the transportation was illegal and arrested all three accused.
Initial investigation revealed that the cattle were brought from the Kotpad area and were being taken to Andhra Pradesh. To find out who else is involved and expose the entire livestock smuggling network, police have started a thorough investigation.