Palghar police raid cow slaughter attempt, six arrested

A police team was allegedly attacked while thwarting an attempt to transport cows for slaughter in Palghar district of Maharashtra, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place early on Monday morning at Dharanpada in Jawhar. District police superintendent Balasaheb Patil said a patrol team received a tip-off that cows from an orchard in the area were being loaded onto a truck for slaughter.

On June 17, an FIR was filed against six persons under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 353 (assault or force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act.

Palghar police confirmed the arrest of the six accused after the team searched the area and found them hiding on a hillock. During the chase, the accused allegedly pelted stones at the police team and one of them tried to attack a policeman with a sickle.

Palghar police arrested six accused identified as Soheb Khan and Sheikh Shabir Sheikh, residents of Malegaon in Nashik; Sumit Lazarus Kharat, Bablu Sheikh and Musa Haroon Shaikh of Ahmednagar district; and Hussain Abbas Sheikh of Shirdi. The accused stated that they had brought the cows to Malegaon for slaughter for Eid-ul-Azha.

The police seized six cows and five calves worth Rs 1.5 million from the accused and took them to a cattle shed.