Balasore: Acting on a tip-off about the illegal and inhumane transportation of cattle from Odisha to West Bengal, members of a cow vigilante group intercepted a pickup van near Khantapada in Balasore district late on Sunday night.
Upon interception, the driver abandoned the vehicle and fled, leaving behind several cows that had been cruelly tied and crammed into the pickup van. The group reported that the animals were being transported in deplorable conditions by suspected members of a cattle smuggling network.
Although the team initially tried to contact the 112 police control room, they were unable to reach it. Later, after informing SDPO Subhranshu Shekhar Nayak, a police team from Khantapada Police Station reached the spot, seized the vehicle, and began a detailed investigation into the incident.
Officials suspect that the vehicle was part of a larger interstate cattle smuggling operation running between Odisha and West Bengal. Efforts are on to trace the absconding driver and identify other members of the network.
