Wanted cattle smuggler held in Gorakhpur after police encounter

Gorakhpur (UP), Sep 21 (PTI) Police on Sunday arrested a wanted cattle smuggler from Rampur following an encounter here as part of a crackdown against cattle smugglers in Gorakhpur district.

The accused, identified as Imran Ali, a resident of Tanda police station area in Rampur district, sustained a bullet injury in his leg during the exchange of fire. He has been admitted to the district hospital under police custody, Superintendent of Police (South) Jitendra Kumar said.

Imran Ali has a history of criminal cases, with 11 registered in Rampur and one in Gorakhpur. A cash reward of Rs 25,000 was announced last year for his arrest.

The SSP said the police teams were conducting a crackdown on cattle smugglers across the district.

At around 2 AM on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, the police received a tip-off that the wanted smuggler was passing through the area on a motorcycle.

When the police personnel signalled him to stop, the accused attempted to flee and open fire on the team. The police fired in self-defence, injuring the cattle smuggler in his leg, while his accomplice managed to escape.

The police have recovered a motorcycle, a country-made pistol and one live cartridge from the cattle smuggler. A manhunt has been launched to trace his accomplice, he said.

Imran Ali was wanted since November 3, 2024, when police seized a truck carrying cattle in Belghat and registered a case, in which his involvement was later established.

Following this, a cash reward of Rs 25,000 was announced for his arrest, the police said.

The crackdown on cattle smugglers comes days after a 19-year-old NEET aspirant was killed in a confrontation between cattle smugglers and villagers in Pipraich here, sparking tension in the area. PTI COR NAV SMV RT RT