Ramgarh SP Priyadarshi Alok had a close shave after cattle smugglers allegedly tried to drive a truck over him during a vehicle check under Barlanga police station on Thursday midnight. The incident happened as the cattle smugglers mistook the police patrolling party as cow-vigilante. At least six persons were arrested in this connection.
“They have said that they were extremely fearful after they mistook policemen as cow-vigilante. They thought we were Bajrang Dal members who had smelt presence of cattle in their truck. Feared of being grabbed, thrashed and looted, they tried to kill us on the spot and run away,” said Priyadarshi Alok, who took charge in Ramgarh a month ago.
The SP was taking a round of the area with some policemen, when they hinted a truck driver to stop the truck and get down for routine checking. However, the truck driver tried to hit his official vehicle hard and drive away. The police team followed the truck and caught it a few kilometers away.
“There were 24 cattle in numbers, all cow and bull. Six men were also present in the truck, including the driver. They all are under 35 years of age excluding the one who is in his late 40s. They all have been booked in different sections, including smuggling and attempt to murder and been sent to jail on Friday,” said Alok.
He said that all six men were resident of Chitarpur and Darba under Rajrappa police station area in Ramgarh, who were heading to Jhalda in West Bengal. He added teams were on the job to catch the mastermind of smuggling. “We are also running an extensive drive to stop cattle-smuggling,” said the SP.