The police on Thursday claimed to have gunned down an alleged cow smuggler in an encounter on the outskirts of Alwar city, when a group of men was spotted rounding up stray cattle and transporting them in a pick-up van. Five to six accomplices of the deceased fled in the darkness during the exchange of fire.
The incident took place on Thursday morning. Alwar Superintendent of Police Rahul Prakash said the cow smugglers opened fire and drove through two barricades put up by the police. They were challenged at the third check point, where the exchange of fire took place.
A country-made gun and cartridges, apart from five cows, one of which had died, were found in the vehicle. The cattle was sent to a local cow shelter, while a forensic team and a dog squad reached the spot to join the investigation.
This was the third incident of violence in the transport of cows reported in Alwar district since April this year, when dairy farmer from Haryana Pehlu Khan was lynched by a mob of cow vigilantes. Last month, Umar Khan of Bharatpur district was shot dead, with the police claiming that the assailants were members of a gang of robbers.
