44 buffaloes die in overloaded canter; 5 booked

Bijnor: As many as 44 buffaloes died of suffocation after being crammed into an overloaded canter transporting them from Moradabad to a slaughterhouse in Meerut, police said on Friday.The vehicle, legally permitted to carry only six animals, was found transporting 78 buffaloes. The animals were stacked one over another, their necks tightly tied with ropes and fastened to metal pipes, leading to extreme suffocation during transit.The incident came to light during a police check on the Delhi–Lucknow National Highway near Gajraula.SHO Manoj Kumar said, "Three men from Hapur—Asif, Anas and Israr—were arrested under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act." During questioning, two more accused from Hapur, Shoaib and Rehan, were also named and charged.Police officials Sudhir Kumar Tomar and Jogendra Singh were checking vehicles near Brijghat when they stopped the six-tyre canter. The driver produced purchase documents from the Moradabad animal market, but when the tarpaulin was removed, officers found the animals packed tightly together, with many already unconscious.The vehicle was taken to a cowshed in Mohammadabad Mustakam village, where inspection confirmed that 44 buffaloes had died due to suffocation. The 34 surviving animals were rescued and shifted to an animal shelter in Amroha, where they were provided fodder, water and medical care.The carcasses of the animals were later buried after a pit was dug, officials said.