Taloja police arrested four persons and rescued 12 cows who were carrying them in unhygienic conditions in a vehicle. They were carrying them without permission from government agencies. It is believed that they were carrying them for slaughtering purposes. The arrested accused were identified as Atish Vishnu Rokade, 35, a resident of Kalyan and the vehicle of the driver, Aqib Dawalkar, Rauf Namre, a resident of Panvel and Sameer. They were arrested on Sunday morning in Taloja MIDC road in Panvel.
According to police, a hotelier from Taloja noticed the vehicle laden with cows and they were kept in unhygienic condition without food, water, and medicines. Even the vehicle carrying eight cows did not have sufficient space. “When they were asked about the purposes of carrying the animals, they did not give a coercive reply,” said a police official from Taloja police station. He added that they even failed to show licenses issued by government agencies for carrying the animals.
Subsequently, the police rescued all the animals and arrested all of them. A case was also registered at Taloja police station against them under relevant sections of Maharashtra Animal Protection Act 1976 Sections and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, including the Maharashtra Police Act. The vehicle used to carry the animal was also seized.