Bid to steal cattle from gaushala foiled in Azamgarh

Varanasi: Timely action by the village head and police helped foil a bid to steal cattle from a gaushala by cattle smugglers in Azamgarh on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. However, cops seized only the cattle-laden van, as the smugglers managed to escape before their arrival.Regarding the incident, Azamgarh's ASP (rural) Chirag Jain said that, on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, some cattle smugglers raided a cattle shed in Parnkunda in the Ajmatgarh development block under Jiyanpur police station, when locals and the village head alerted police. However, before police and villagers could reach the site, the cattle smugglers managed to escape, leaving their van abandoned, he said, adding that police seized the van after unloading four cattle and handing them over to the gaushala. Teams were engaged to arrest the cattle smugglers and initiate further legal action against them, he added. On Sunday morning, SDM Sagdi reached the spot, while chief development officer Parikshit Khatana, ADM administration Rahul Vishwakarma, and chief veterinary officer Mukesh Gupta also inspected the gaushala. Only a person named Pappu Shahi was staying there, while no security arrangements were made. Officials found that 90 cattle were present at the Goshala.