Etah (UP), Mar 19 (PTI) Three suspected cattle smugglers were arrested following an encounter with police here early Wednesday, officials said.

Two of the accused were injured in police firing, while three others managed to escape, they said.

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Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shyam Narayan Singh said, "Around 1 AM, the police received intelligence about suspicious activities in a jungle near Kila Road in Aliganj. Acting on the tip-off, a police team led by inspector-in-charge Indrosh Singh Sengar rushed to the location and found a group of individuals slaughtering cattle."

"Upon seeing the police, the suspects attempted to flee and opened fire on the officers. In retaliation, the police fired back, injuring two accused. Another suspect was caught while trying to escape, while three others managed to flee under the cover of darkness," he said.

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The injured suspects were identified as Asif (26) and Bhura (30), both residents of Aliganj. They were immediately shifted to a hospital for treatment, according to the police.

A third accused, Hashim (36) was arrested after a brief chase, the police added.

From the crime scene, the police recovered two illegal country-made pistols (315 bore) with four empty cartridges and two live rounds, cattle slaughter equipment, including two ropes, two axes, five knives, and one shovel, and a black motorcycle, which the accused had used to reach the jungle.

Two large sacks suspected to contain remains of slaughtered cattle were also found, the police said.

Inspector Indrosh Singh Sengar said the police are closely monitoring criminal activities related to illegal cattle slaughter.

He said the team acted swiftly, leading to the arrest of three accused. Two were injured in the encounter and are currently under medical supervision. A manhunt is underway to locate the three absconding suspects.

A case has been registered under the relevant sections of the law and are investigating the criminal backgrounds of the accused in collaboration with law enforcement agencies from other districts.

A forensic team has collected evidence from the scene, and the situation remains under control.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)