'Gau Rakshaks' stop 15 cattle-laden trucks

Angul: Tension ran high after cow vigilantes intercepted 15 trucks at Bantala Chhak in Angul district for allegedly trafficking cattle illegally.

Acting on a tipoff, members of Bantala Gau Suraksha Mancha Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other outfits intercepted the cattle-laden trucks in the wee hours today. While the cow vigilantes stopped 8 vehicles, seven trucks managed to give a slip.

Each truck was laden with 30-40 cattle. Some of the cows jam packed inside the trucks were found dead, triggering fury among the locals, reports said.

Meanwhile, Police rushed to the spot, detained the drivers and tried to pacify the angry mob.

On March 26, forest department officials arrested as many as 12 person while illegally transporting cattle from Sonepur district of Odisha to Kolkata. The traffickers set a portion of Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary on fire to divert the attention of the officials so that they could transport the cattle from Sonepur to Narsinghpur through the sanctuary.