Suspected cow smuggler killed in encounter

JAIPUR: A cow smuggler was shot dead by the police in an encounter near Janta colony area of Alwar district late Wednesday night.

District superintendent of police (SP), Rahul Prakash, informed TOI that about a dozen cow smugglers had opened fire at a police patrolling unit near Janta colony. "The police had intercepted a mini-truck in which cows were being smuggled. When we asked them to stop the truck, the smugglers opened fire on us. We also resorted to trigger in which one of their accomplices was killed," he said.

The deceased has yet to be identified by the police and his body has been kept at the mortuary of a local hospital. The police also claimed to have recovered a country-made pistol, mobile phone, and two cartridges.

"We had tried to stop them at several places, but the smugglers kept on firing at the police teams. While one has been shot dead, others managed to flee, attempts are being made to arrest them," said an official.

The sources in the police told TOI that since last two weeks a gang was involved in smuggling stray in Alwar, to put a curb on that the patrolling was intensified. "We suspect that the smugglers belonged to the same gang, but we are carrying out our investigation," the official said.