The Local Crime Branch (LCB) of Chandrapur district carried out two coordinated operations on Friday, rescuing 54 cattle and arresting four persons involved in the illegal transportation of bovines.
In the first raid, conducted within the Ramnagar police station limits, an LCB team, assisted by the Chandrapur police sub-division, intercepted a truck illegally transporting cattle. During the operation, 24 cattle were rescued, and the truck driver, Afroz Majid Baig (35), a resident of Belapur in Chandrapur district, was arrested. Police also detained Sheikh Bholu Sheikh Nakim (45) of Nagpur, who was driving an escort vehicle allegedly used to help the truck evade detection. The rescued animals were shifted to the Pyar Foundation shelter at Chhota Nagpur, Chandrapur.
In a separate operation under the Nagbhid police station limits, the LCB and Brahmapuri sub-division intercepted another truck and rescued 30 cattle, including cows, bulls, and bullocks. The animals were relocated to a recognised gaushala in Lakhani, Bhandara district. Two accused — Pradeep Balkrishna Watghure (33) from Gondia district and Rizwan Ahmed Abdul Rauf Qureshi (28) from Yavatmal district — were arrested in this case.
Police have registered cases against all four accused under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation is underway.
