In a tragic incident on Saturday night, an illegal cattle transportation operation turned fatal in Odisha’s Bhadrak district.
Two pickup vehicles, speeding to evade police capture, overturned on the Bhadrak-Aradi Road near Asurali Market. This led to the unfortunate death of one driver and three cows at the scene. The other driver fled the spot and remains at large.
The Dhusuri Police Station had received a tip-off about two vehicles involved in illegal cattle transportation starting from Dhamnagar. Acting swiftly, both the Dhamnagar and Dhusuri police stations coordinated their efforts to intercept the vehicles. Spotting the police in pursuit, the drivers recklessly sped up and deviated from their route, resulting in their loss of control and the overturning of the vehicles.
In this mishap, 27 injured cows were rescued from the overturned vehicles and sent to a nearby shelter. The deceased driver’s body has been sent for postmortem examination, and the police have seized both vehicles.
A case has been filed, and investigations are ongoing to apprehend the absconding driver and accomplices involved in the cattle smuggling operation.
The incident has triggered significant unrest in the local area, with residents voicing strong concerns over the prevalence of illegal cattle transport.