PNS | DEHRADUN
The police arrested three accused of cattle slaughter including two suspects who were shot during an encounter early on Monday. The suspects including a notorious gangster from Saharanpur, were reportedly involved in multiple incidents of illegal cow slaughter in the Patelnagar and Vasant Vihar areas of Dehradun. In a Press conference on Monday, the Dehradun senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh said that the chain of events began on January 18 when a resident of Vasant Vihar filed a complaint about the theft of her cow a day earlier. Investigations confirmed that the cow had been slaughtered illegally after which the police registered a case under anti-cattle slaughter laws. A similar case emerged on January 19, when the police discovered two slaughtered cows near a dry pond in Patelnagar. Considering both incidents, the SSP assigned specialised teams to catch the culprits.
He said that during routine checks in the Tea Estate area on Monday, the police flagged down an electric tempo carrying three individuals. The suspects ignored the signal and fled, leading to a high-speed chase. The tempo was eventually intercepted near Harbanswala but overturned on a rough path heading toward Tea Estate. The suspects abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot into nearby forests. “When the police pursued them, the suspects opened fire, forcing the officers to retaliate. In the exchange of gunfire, two suspects, Arish and Wasim, were injured, one sustained a gunshot wound to the leg and the other to the arm. Both were rushed to a hospital for treatment. The third suspect, Nadeem, was apprehended after a search operation in the surrounding area,” Singh said.
He stated that the police recovered two country-made pistols, ammunition, a cleaver, an axe and a knife from the suspects. The tempo, used to transport slaughtered cattle, was also seized. Investigations revealed that the suspects were part of an organised gang engaged in cattle theft and slaughter. “They allegedly stole a cow on January 17 and slaughtered it illegally. They also carried out a similar act in Patelnagar on January 19, transporting the meat using Nadeem’s tempo for sale to a local named Aneesh in Tunwala.
The SSP said that Arish and Wasim, the injured suspects, are residents of Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, with long criminal histories, including cases related to cattle slaughter and animal cruelty. Nadeem, their accomplice, also hails from Saharanpur but currently resides in Patelnagar, Dehradun. He informed that the police have been actively working to dismantle illegal cattle slaughter operations. “In the past year, 47 individuals have been arrested for such activities, including five suspects apprehended after encounters and four gangsters with bounties on their heads,” he said.
