Latest News | Mastermind of Inter-state Beef Smugglers' Gang Arrested from Dehradun

Nahan (HP), Apr 2 (PTI) A day after 10 suspected members of an inter-state beef smugglers' gang were arrested, the gang's alleged mastermind was nabbed on Wednesday from Timli forest area in Dehradun near the Himachal Pradesh border.

The accused, identified as Ahsaan, was arrested by the Uttarakhand Police after being shot in his leg early morning, officials said.

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On Monday, members of some Hindu outfits had staged a dharna and blocked the Dehradun-Paonta-Chandigarh National Highway after body parts of more than a dozen cows were found in the Yamuna river in the Paonta area and some parts on the Uttarakhand side of the river.

Alleging that it was a deliberate act to hurt the sentiments of Hindus, the protesters had demanded immediate action against the criminals.

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According to the information shared by the Uttarakhand Police, acting on a tip-off, police stopped a vehicle for checking near the Timli forest. But accused Ahsaan tried to run away from the vehicle, and he was injured in a "retaliatory" fire by police, the officials said.

Dehradun SSP Ajay Singh said that Ahsaan, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur who has criminal background, was running an inter-state cow beef smuggling gang in Uttarakhand and Saharanpur.

During interrogation, Ahsaan's involvement in killing of the cows came to light, the SSP said, adding that action would also be taken under the Gangster Act against the accused.

There is a bounty of Rs 15,000 on his head, police said.

On Tuesday, 10 people allegedly associated with the gang were arrested in a joint operation by the Uttarakhand and Himachal police.

In a joint press conference in Poanta, Dehradun SSP Ajay Singh had said that during interrogation, the gang members revealed that they look for the cattle which come for grazing on the bank of the river, slaughter them and sell their beef at a high price.

The BJP is also up in arms on the issue and demanding stern action against the accused.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, Poanta BJP Minority Morcha president Shamsher Ali and its former chief Nasim Naath demanded action against the cows' killers. They also appealed to the advocates of the district not to contest the cases of these criminals.

A protest march led by BJP MLA from Pacchad constituency, Reena Kashyap, was taken out on Tuesday evening in Rajgarh town of Sirmour district.

Former minister and BJP MLA from Paonta Sahib, Sukhram Chaudhary along with representatives of Hindu organisations has already submitted a memorandum to the government of Himachal Pradesh through SDM Paonta, demanding quick and effective action in this case.

(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)