Guwahati, Feb 9: Jorabat police intercepted two vehicles and recovered 20 smuggled cattle from a truck during checking at the Jorabat Link Road near here in the early hours of Friday.
Four persons were arrested in this connection. They have been identified as Noor Mohammad (24), Riaz Uddin (32), Faridul Islam, (23) and Noor Hussain (33), all of whom are residents of Nagaon district.
Police said the arrested persons were escorting the cattle-loaded truck (bearing registration number AS 02 CC 8143) in another vehicle (bearing registration number AS 02AL 5089).
“During interrogation, the driver and helper of the vehicles stated that they were escorting the cattle-loaded vehicle. Accordingly, the truck was found at Jorabat Link Road near RP Hotel in an abandoned state. Upon checking the vehicle in the presence of witnesses, 20 live cattle were found inside the truck. The driver of the truck escaped while the escorting vehicle was intercepted,” police said.
“The driver and helper of the intercepted escorting vehicle stated that they brought the loaded cattle from Nagaon but they could not produce any valid permit documents of competent authority in support of the loaded cattle,” police said.
It is suspected that the cattle were stolen as well as carried illegally in the vehicle by the driver. Thereafter, the two vehicles and other articles were seized in the presence of independent witnesses and the driver and his associates inside the escorting vehicle were apprehended.
The arrested persons were subsequently taken in the custody of Jorabat police outpost.
