Police conduct drive to check illegal cattle trade in Odisha's Angul

ANGUL:  In a drive against cattle smuggling, Angul police has rescued as many as 800 cattle from Bantala, Jarapara and Banarpal areas.

Police also seized nine containers besides several trucks and other vehicles used in carrying the cattle.

SDPO Aswini Kumar Sahu said the police is on high alert to stop such illegal cattle trade in Angul sub-division by launching consistent drive against it.

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Most of the seizures were made in Banarpal area which is situated near NH-55. Banarpal has become a centre of illegal cattle trade for Talcher-Angul industrial belt and undivided Dhenkanal district, he added.

Locals sell the cattle in the weekly market at Banarpal which are later purchased by smugglers from Bhadrak and West Bengal.

There is no ceiling on the number of these hapless animals that could be sold. Hundreds of cows are smuggled every week but police prefer to turn a blind eye to the illegal trade.

As a result, smuggling of cattle is thriving, locals alleged. Sources said there are agents for each areas and they bring the stray cattle and cows wandering outside in the night.

They assemble those cattle at the weekly haat where they sell to the mafia. Cattle are being transported in trucks and containers in a very inhuman manner through the NH, they said.

Earlier, ‘Go Rakshak’ activists had staged agitations to check the illegal trade at the weekly market, but no step has been taken in this regard so far.