Kendrapara: Police Saturday seized a cattle-laden truck at Jali chowk near Hansua bridge under Rajnagar police limits and arrested 12 people and seized a Bolero in this connection, Tapan Kumar Nayak, IIC of Rajnagar police station, said.
Police said, Bajarang Dal activists led by Shiba Prasad Mohapatra Saturday chased the truck and intercepted the cattle traders. Rajnagar police rushed to the spot and arrested 12 cattle traders. Police later seized 33 cattle heads including bulls and calves from the truck.
The cattle traders belonged to Bhadrak, Jajpur and Kendrapara districts. They were transporting cattle from Rajnagar to Dhenkanal to deliver the cattle to tribal people so that they could engage them in farming. Police suspected, the cattle were being transported to West Bengal, Nayak said.
Rajnagar police registered a case under Sections 294, 500, 34 of IPC, Section 11 (i)(d) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Sections 192, 194 of the MV Act. The accused were produced before court Saturday.
While the government has made laws to check cruelty on animals, illegal cattle trading is on the rise. Wildlife activists alleged that due to poverty and financial crunch, gullible villagers were cajoled into selling cattle to middlemen.