Delhi Police has arrested five people who were involved in cattle rustling. The five men had been stealing hundreds of animals, mainly buffaloes from Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana. They were arrested on Monday morning after a brief exchange of fire in southwest Delhi’s Dwarka area.
The accused have been identified as Ajaj (33), Irshad (35), Ismaile (24), Sajat (53) and Nabiya (55), all residents of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh (UP).
According to Santosh Kumar Meena, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Dwarka district, on January 12, police received information regarding cattle rustling from Main Najafgarh Chhawla Road.
“Police reached the spot and found that four buffaloes had been stolen by unknown persons after tying their caretaker with a rope. On Monday, the police got a tip-off that five people would come to the Goyla Dairy-Dwarka Road in their pick-up tempo around 4 AM. The Goyla Dairy Road was barricaded and around 4:35 AM, one tempo was spotted,” said the DCP.
“It was given the signal to stop at the checkpoint, but the driver hit the barricade and tried to escape.
However, the tempo came to a halt after colliding with a street light pole. Two people started firing at the police. Police also retaliated and both the accused were shot in the legs. They were apprehended with their three other accomplices,” said the DCP.
“The accused used to steal the animals and later sell them in Meerut. Two country-made pistols, three knives, two live rounds, one pickup van etc. were recovered from their possession,” said the DCP adding that further investigation is in progress and efforts are being made to ascertain their involvements in other criminal cases