Alleged cattle lifters from Meghalaya caught by public in Cachar while transporting cow in Alto; Police rescues them from mob

Last night, in Katigorah’s Cheragi Bazar area, locals spotted a Maruti Suzuki Alto Car ML 11 4017 with tinted windows. Some got suspicious as the driver behind the dark glasses was driving fast to escape any obstruction in the busy market area. Soon, some of the locals stopped the car and asked the driver to pull down the windows.

To their dismay, the car was loaded with a grown-up cow. The locals then started assaulting the driver and two others in the car. As the crowd gathered, the probability of a mob lynching was looming large over the Katigorah area. But some of the senior local citizens took the responsibility to calm the mob and eventually, the Police rescued them from the spot.

The three cattle lifters have been identified as Tanio Lio, Fourchin Loi and Jokob Lio. Police sources informed that during the initial investigation, three of them maintained that they are residents of Umkiang village in Khliehriat district of Meghalaya.

This is not the first time an attempt to smuggle cows in an Alto was foiled. Early this month, Maruti Suzuki Alto ML 05 Q 1202 was caught in Kalain with three cows loaded inside. That car too was headed to Meghalaya. The driver, during that incident and even yesterday, claimed that they bought the cows legally and were transporting them in an Alto to save shipping costs.

It is worth mentioning here that the chief minister of Assam, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma’s government tabled a Bill to bring in certain amendments to the Assam Cattle Preservation Act. The state’s Industry and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary tabled the Assam Cattle Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 2021, on the first day of the winter session of the assembly.

The amendment bill, as reported by The Print, includes a clause that does not prohibit the transport of cattle throughout the state, but only to “any other place in a district within the state which shares an international border with any foreign country”