Five members of a Mewat-based gang were arrested in the early hours of July 2 for allegedly stealing cattle for slaughter. They would sell the stolen cows, buffaloes and goats to an Uttar Pradesh-based man at high prices, said the police.
Tip-off
Kamru (27), Parvej alias Rana (23), Lukman alias Tillu (32), Shahzad (21), and Abid, all residents of Ghaziabad, were arrested following a tip-off.
“The five accused were identified as members of a Mewat-based gang and put under surveillance. They would leave late at night to steal the animals. They were arrested as soon as they reached Gokulpuri on July 2,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police Sanjay Sehrawat. He said the gang allegedly operated in the National Capital Region.
Targeted dairy owners
“The accused usually targeted dairy owners. They would sedate the cattle, pile more than 10 of them in one vehicle, fill the edge of the vehicle with stones and make two people stand at the back to mislead the police,” said Mr. Sehrawat.
The accused told the police that the gang would hand over the stolen cattle to one Manzoor in Ghaziabad for a hefty amount. Manzoor would then use them for slaughter. “Sustained interrogation revealed their involvement in over 100 incidents of robbery and theft of cattle and other articles across Delhi-NCR,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Madhur Verma, adding that they stole cattle as the animals were easy to steal and get rid of.
Cow vigilantes
On whether the gang was scared to transport cows and buffaloes due to many incidents of violence by self-proclaimed cow vigilantes, Mr. Sehrawat said, “They were not scared at all. They drove extremely fast. If confronted, they would fire at policemen and throw stones.”
The police have recovered four country-made pistols with 10 live cartridges, master keys and two stolen vehicles used to transport the animals. “We are looking at involvement of other people in the crime. More information on Manzoor is also being gathered,” said Mr. Sehrawat.
