Cattle smuggling: Truck helper jumps to death to avoid arrest during raid

In a bizarre incident, a helper of a truck jumped to death from the moving vehicle to avoid arrest during a raid to stop cattle smuggling near Balasore Rajghat late Saturday night. 

According to sources, a team of police was stationed on Jaleswar National Highway-60 to check on containers illegally smuggling cattle.

During the raid, the police team learnt about cow smuggling in a couple of trucks and intercepted them. However, a helper of one of the trucks jumped to Subarnarekha river to avoid arrest. 

However, he died in the process.

 
The team intercepted the vehicles and rescued as many as 300 cows from the trucks. The police have also arrested nine smugglers including the truck drivers and helpers. 

A case of unnatural death was registered and the helper’s body was sent for autopsy. 

On the other hand, a separate case was registered against the nine smugglers and they were forwarded to court.

Rise in cattle smuggling in Balasore has become a matter of concern for the locals. Many such incidents have been reported earlier too. 

A few days back, as many as three trucks and a pickup van engaged in illegal transportation of cattle were detained by locals at two different places in Balasore. The locals also detained two persons allegedly involved in the cattle smuggling.

Sources said at least 300 cattle were being smuggled to West Bengal in these three trucks.

In another incident, locals intercepted and detained a pickup van near Baiganbadia Chhak after they found cattle being transported in the vehicle. While seven cattle were rescued, the locals also detained two persons in connection with the incident.

 

(Reporter: Ajit Das, OTV)