Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)
Bantwal, May 22: Police personnel of Vittal station, who were trying to crack a case of cattle theft, stumbled upon a huge slaughterhouse. They recovered about 200 cow pelts, eight cows and seized several vehicles. This incident happened at Salethur near Vittal on Thursday May 21.
Haris alias Muhammad Haris (22), a resident of Kolnadu Kattattila Matha, stands arrested during the raid. A police team, based on the tip off about the theft of cows, had raided a house in Kolnadu. Haris tried to flee from the spot during the raid. He fell to the ground in the farm when trying to escape, and suffered injury to his leg. He was then arrested. During questioning, it is said, he provided extensive details about the slaughterhouse.
On the basis of information provided by him, the police team raided a spot in Aittakumeru in Salethur. They found eight cows and 200 cow pelts at the spot. Four two-wheelers, an auto rickshaw, as well as an Ashok Leyland Dost vehicle, which reportedly were used for operating the slaughterhouse. Items which are used to prepare meat were also seized.
Reports say that some bigwigs are involved with the operation of the slaughterhouse and getting cattle stolen. Since sometime, they used to escape from the concerned in the guise of border area restrictions. The police who suspect the case to have link with several cases of cattle thefts, have intensified their investigation.
District superintendent of police Dr Laxmi Prasad, deputy superintendent of police Valentine D'Souza, circle police inspector T D Nagaraj and others visited the spot. Vittal police sub-inspector Vinod S K along with his team of policemen had conducted the operation.
It is said that after the police raided the said house and took a person into custody, the racketeers involved with cattle theft came up with offers to pay huge amount to drop the case. But the police have not shown any inclination to fall to the lure and have continued with the investigation into a racket which appears to be one of the biggest in the district.