Jharkhand Police rescue over 100 cows, bulls worth over Rs 20 lakh
The traffickers were in a bid to smuggle the heard of cattle to Bangladesh via Gurabanda which is 80 km away from Jamshedpur. The route is considered to be a safe den and passage corridor for trafficking.
The Jharkhand Police on Wednesday busted an international animal trafficking gang near Gurabanda in Jamshedpur and rescued around 50 pairs of cows and bulls worth more than Rs 20 lakh.
While police managed to seize all the cows and bulls, they were able to arrest only one accused among six.
The rescued animals have now been kept in a shelter house in Chakulia under tight security.
The traffickers were in a bid to smuggle the heard of cattle to Bangladesh via Gurabanda which is 80 km away from Jamshedpur. The route is considered to be a safe den and passage corridor for trafficking.
Police said that for the past few days, they were receiving some information from Jamshedpur district about some cows and bulls being smuggled.
According to the information, the cattle were first being brought to Odisha and then taken to Gurabanda area. From there, the herd was to be taken to Chingra in West Bengal, and then all the way to Bangladesh.
Around 2 am on Wednesday, Gurabanda police were informed about the arrival of the cattle in the area, following which the security was tightened.
Ashok Kumar, Assistant Sub-Inspector of Gurabandha police station, said all the seized animals were kept in a cowshed.
The Gurabanda police station area is under the influence of Naxals and borders Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand. This makes it easier for smugglers to sneak animals across the border.
Chandradev Mahato, Jamshedpur district president of the World Hindu Council, said that a new corridor to smuggle animals is being built in Gurabanda where the perpetrators first enter Jharkhand via Odisha and then take cattle to Chingra in Bengal. From there, the heard is sent to Bangladesh in big vehicles.