The menace of cattle smugglers and a whole range of law and order issues that the illegal trade inflicts upon a civilised society was displayed recently in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
In a worrisome incident in Sikhera village of Meerut, eight police personnel, including two women constables of Incholi police station have been injured after they were attacked by family members of notorious cattle smuggler Aslam and his son Akram after they had carried out a raid to nab them.
On Wednesday night, the police team from Incholi police station went to Lavad town in Meerut to arrest the cattle smugglers. Reportedly, the police officials disguised in plain clothes arrived at Aslam’s residence to arrest him and his son Akram in connection with the theft of two buffaloes and duping other cattle traders. The police, however, were not aware of a wedding in the family and a large number of relatives had assembled in the house.
As the police team brought the recovered animal and made the accused sit in the police jeep, the gathered relatives at the house of the accused surrounded the police team and attacked them.
As the situation got tensed, stones were pelted at the police and women tore off policemen’s clothes, forcing them to leave the spot. The family members, especially women, attacked the police, injuring the police personnel including women police constables. In the chaos, Akram escaped from the police custody.
“Aslam and his son Akram used women as a shield and they managed to get Akram freed from police custody. We had to rush in more force from other police stations to control the situation,” said SP (Rural) Avinash Pandey who rushed to the spot with SP (City) Akhilesh N. Singh.
SP Pandey said Akram had several complaints of not returning the borrowed money against him and managed to escape but the police have arrested Aslam and 10 other members of the family under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder), Section 147 (rioting), Section 504 (intent to breach peace) and Section 341 (wrongful restraint), among others. Sections 3 and 7 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act 1984 have also been invoked.
A police vehicle has also been damaged in the incident.
“The police personnel who got hurt are out of danger but some of them have received head injuries as they were attacked with sticks,” he said.