Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, May 10: Mob torched a jeep which was carrying the bovine animals from Punjab to Kashmir via river Ravi at Pattan Berrian near here, this morning.
According to reports, a Jeep bearing Registration Number PB 12 N 922 loaded with two bovine animals was on its way from Punjab to Jammu early this morning. As the truck reached Pattan Berrian after crossing Ravi river via Hatli More, the people of the village became agitated and they gathered on the road, stopped the vehicle, unloaded the animals and torched it.
The protestors also thrashed the two bovine smugglers including driver of the vehicle and later handed over them to the Lakhanpur Police which reached on the spot soon after hearing about the incident.
The Lakhanpur Police has registered a case FIR No 41/81 U/S 188 against the driver Balwinder Singh of Khanna of Ludhiana district in Punjab.
Later SSP Kathua, Sridhar Patil and DySP, Gaurav Mahajan also reached the spot to have at and on spot study of the situation there. The police also registered another FIR No 42/18 U/S 435 RPC against the unknown persons for setting the vehicle ablaze.
The protestors said that smuggling of bovine animals is a routine practice via this route especially during night and morning hours and police was not taking any action against them. They demanded that the bovine smuggling should be strongly curbed from this area.
In another bovine smuggling attempt, the Excise sleuths at Toll Post, Lakhanpur seized a truck bearing registration Number JK02 AP 8767 which was on way from Punjab to Jammu and rescued five bovine animals which were loaded in it. However the driver managed to skip. The Excise sleuths handed over the vehicle to Lakhanpur Police which also reached the spot later and took the animals and vehicle in its possession.
Seeing that another truck with bovine animals had entered the State from Punjab, the local people also assembled there and pelted stones on the truck and damaged its glasses.
Lakhanpur Police has registered a FIR under No 40/18 U/S 188 and started investigation.
The DySP, Gaurav Mahajan who also reached the spot told reporters that police has registered a case and started manhunt for the driver of the truck who will be arrested soon. He said police will also trace the bovine smugglers as it has tightened noose on them.
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