Seven cattle smugglers held in Chhattisgarh

Seven people were arrested for cattle smuggling in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district, police said today.
A total of 54 bovine animals, mostly bulls, were seized from them.
According to police, the accused were taking the cattle, including 45 bulls, one cow and 8 calves, to a slaughter house in neighbouring Odisha.
"Acting on a tip-off, the cattle smugglers were held last night near Jabalpur village under Bhupdeopur police station limits," Station House Officer (SHO) Kaushalya Sahu said.
The accused are identified as Shankar Yadav (40), Kumar Sai Yadav (35), Dileshwar Yadav (18), Ramkrishna Pathak (31), Mukesh Das Mahant (31), Anil Sao (25) and Neeraj Vishwas (23)---all hailing from Raigarh, she said.

During interrogation, they told police that they were taking the cattle to a slaughter house in Odisha, Sahu said.

A motorcycle and an SUV were seized from their possession, she added.
The accused were booked under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 and the Chhattisgarh Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act 2004, the SHO said, adding that further investigation is on.
A local court has remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days, she said.
The rescued animals were being shifted to Binjkot cow shelter home, the officer said.