Cow slaughter accused nabbed after encounter

Varanasi: The Mubarakpur police in Azamgarh arrested a cow slaughter accused, Salman Ahmad (24), following an exchange of fire in early hours on Sunday. He was wanted in connection with the butchering of a stray cattle and dumping of its remains near a highway-side food outlet on May 1.According to CO (Sadar) Astha Jaiswal, the action took place during night patrolling when Mubarakpur police received inputs about members of a gang involved in targeting stray cattle in an orchard along Damodarpur Road. Acting on the tip-off, the police team surrounded the area. On spotting the police, one suspect opened fire and attempted to flee. In retaliatory firing by the police, he suffered bullet injury in his leg and was subsequently apprehended. A firearm, cartridges, a mobile phone and Rs 250 cash were recovered from his possession. He was later taken to a hospital for treatment.During initial interrogation, Salman Ahmad, a resident of Mau district, confessed that he and his associates used to capture stray cattle, slaughter them and sell the meat for profit. He also admitted involvement in the May 1 incident in Fakhruddinpur, where he, along with his brother-in-law and other accomplices, butchered a stray cattle behind a highway-side eatery.Following recovery of the carcass, police had launched a search operation to track down those involved. Efforts are underway to identify and arrest the remaining members of the gang, said police.