Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (SP)

Bantwal, Mar 13: In a late night operation on Monday March 12, the town police came across an instance of illegal cattle trafficking and arrested a person in this connection. The operation was conducted near Melkar here.

The arrested has been identified as Mohammed Rafiq, a resident of Mallur Muligudde. Hakim, driver of the pick-up truck in which the cattle were being transported, and Mustafa, cleaner of the vehicle, reportedly succeeded in escaping in the dark, the police said.

Station house officer Shekhar and his personnel were on night patrol duty when they saw a pick-up truck coming towards B C Road from the direction of Kalladka near Melkar. The driver did not stop the vehicle, even after the policemen signalled him to stop it. The vehicle was stopped a little distance away, and the occupants of the pick-up truck tried to make good their escape. The policemen, who gave the trio a hot chase, succeeded in taking Rafiq into custody.

The policemen have confiscated the pick-up truck as well as the cattle. They said 13 cattle were being transported in the said vehicle in an inhuman way.