As many as 17 cows were rescued with five in critical conditions from three Tata Magic trucks in a midnight operation by four youths of Paikisahi village against smuggling of livestock from the farming areas near Puri town.
At about 1:30 am Monday when the youths stopped the trucks and rescued the cows and detained seven persons for hours before handing them over to police. Cops brought them to custody and seized the trucks. The detainees, who belong to Nimapara, were smuggling the cows through local agents.
As per police, the accused lifted the cattle when villagers were asleep. They were carrying the cows to Nimapara when the alert youths intercepted the trucks.
Police lauded the youths’ role as whistleblowers against cow trafficking from the villages.
In view of frequent instances of smuggling of thousands of cows and other livestock from the villages in last four months, the youths have formed a team of watchmen to prevent trafficking operations.