A digger (bulldozer) breaks the hull of a seemingly normal petrol tanker and out pops the head of a confused and scared cow. This was the scene that unfolded in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua on November 8 when the police conducted a check in Lakhanpur. Cattle traffickers were trying to smuggle cows into Srinagar in the petrol tanker. However, during a naka check by the police, the smugglers got nervous and fled the spot. The video of the incident has since gone viral.
According to local media reports, Kathua SSP Shobhit Saksena intercepted the tanker near the truck terminal in Lakhanpur.
Officers from Lakhanpur Police Station, while conducting checkpoint inspections, spotted the oil tanker with the registration number JK03E-5451. The vehicle was travelling from Punjab toward Srinagar. However, as soon as the driver was signalled to stop, he halted the tanker a short distance from the checkpoint, jumped off the vehicle, and managed to flee on foot.
The police then brought in a digger and cut open the hull of the tanker, which revealed the "goods" inside to be cattle — 6 cows and 8 oxen. They were being transported in poor condition. All the animals were rescued and the oil tanker was seized. Authorities have registered a case at the Lakhanpur Police Station under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act. An investigation has been launched and efforts are on to trace the smugglers.
This is not the first such incident. Cattle smuggling has gained notoriety in Jammu and Kashmir over the past few weeks. Last month, 7 cattle heads were rescued in Jammu and Kashmir while being smuggled in a cruel manner. The animals were being transported in a modified oil tanker.
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