Cuttack: Two persons were detained and 35 cattle rescued after a road accident revealed illegal transportation of animal in Odisha’s Cuttack district.
According to sources, a pick-up van, carrying cattle from Banki to Tigiria, overturned on Jatmundia-Subarnapur bridge under Banki police limits late on Friday night.
After receiving information from locals, Banki police reached the accident site and launched a rescue operation. Officials safely recovered the trapped cattle from the damaged vehicle. Cops noticed two more similar vehicles passing through that route, which raised their suspicion.
The vehicles were intercepted and upon checking, police found cattle being transported illegally. Around 35 cattle were rescued from the three pick-up vans. Police will question two persons detained in connection with the case. An investigation is underway into the origin and destination of the cattle, and if proper documentation and transport rules were followed.
This incident comes after Odisha Police carried out simultaneous raids at 32 locations in Bhadrak, Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts on April 2, in a major crackdown on cattle smuggling mafia in the state.
