TURA, June 30: Three members of a gang of cattle lifters, reportedly from neighbouring state of Assam, were on Thursday morning apprehended and subsequently thrashed by infuriated villagers of Balalgre under Damalgre Police Station in South West Garo Hills.
While other members of the gang managed to flee, the remaining three members were given a sound thrashing before police stepped in and took them into custody.
A video of the incident, which has been doing rounds on social media, shows the trio lying on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs.
A truck, in which the cattle lifters reportedly came, can also be seen in the background with its windshield damaged.
According to South West Garo Hills SP Siddharth Kr Ambedkar, the incident came to light when a cattle owner from Balalgre village found that his three cattle were missing from the shed outside his home at around 3 am on Thursday. The owner immediately alerted other villagers and began searching for his missing cows.
“The villagers found the cattle tracks, leading out of the village towards the jungles. The villagers suddenly came across three men in a large truck stationed in a small clearing in the jungle, far away from the village,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to police, all the three cattle lifters hailed from neighbouring Assam.
A case has also reportedly been registered and investigation has been initiated.
“Reports of dacoit groups attempting to raid houses due to the electricity shutdown in the early mornings have been doing the rounds and many sightings have been reported. The load-shedding between 1 am to 5 am is being used judiciously by these gangs,” police said.
Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that the load-shedding hours for Garo Hills region has now been rescheduled for the daytime. (With UNI inputs)
