Baripada: In a major breakthrough against illegal cattle trafficking, Mayurbhanj district police rescued over 280 calves during a surprise raid conducted in the early hours of Wednesday.
The operation was carried out in the villages of Dahibadi and Gobindaraypur, located near the Balasore-Mayurbhanj border under the jurisdiction of Baisinga police station.
According to police sources, the rescue operation followed a tip-off received by Mayurbhanj Superintendent of Police (SP) Varun Guntupalli, indicating that hundreds of calves were being illegally held for transportation. Acting swiftly on the information, SP Guntupalli formed a special police team under the leadership of Additional SP Deepak Kumar Gochayat.
The team included police officers Barini Das (Baisinga), Swarnalata Minj (Badasahi), Padmalochan Panigrahi (Rasgobindpur), and Sumit Soren (Muruda), and was supported by two platoons of police personnel. At around 4 a.m., the joint force raided the targeted villages and successfully rescued more than 280 calves.
Upon rescue, the calves were found in a distressed condition, having been deprived of food and water. Veterinary teams were immediately deployed to assess their health, and local residents of Maheshpur village provided fodder and water. The rescued animals were later transported safely to a cow shelter (gaushala) in neighboring Balasore district for further care.
Police officials stated that further investigation is underway to identify the traffickers and trace the broader network involved in the illegal cattle trade.
