Gang involved in lifting cattle by administering sedatives busted in Adilabad

Adilabad police arrested five members of an inter-state gang accused of stealing cattle by administering sedatives and selling them to slaughterhouses in Maharashtra. Eight accused remain absconding. Police seized a car, mobile phones and fake registration plates during the operation

Adilabad: Police busted an inter-state gang involved in lifting cattle by administering sedatives and selling them to slaughterhouses in Maharashtra. Five members of the gang were arrested on Sunday, while eight other accused were absconding. Police seized a car, five mobile phones and fake vehicle registration number plates from the accused.

Briefing media persons about the arrests, SP Akhil Mahajan said Mohammad Sahid Habib Khadri, Alam Shaik Aneesh, Farman Sabeer Shaik, Shaik Tabas Shakeel and Waseem, all from different parts of Maharashtra, were apprehended. Rahim, Mortuza, Azeem Rauf, belonging to Maharashtra, and Nabi Builder, Papu Thanda, Babu alias Syed Sameer and Qayuum Batariya from Uttar Pradesh were still at large.

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During interrogation, Sahid and the others confessed to committing the crime, citing the huge demand for beef in Maharashtra’s Nanded. They admitted to lifting cows and bullocks at night using cars after administering sedatives and altering the registration numbers of the vehicles. They were illegally selling the animals to slaughterhouses in Nanded and earning profits. They targeted animals in villages that did not have check posts and toll plazas.

The accused reportedly revealed that they had committed offences in several parts of Telangana, including Nirmal, Jagtial and Kamareddy districts. Members of the gang disclosed that they had stolen seven cows from different parts of Adilabad in the past one-and-a-half years alone. Police said special teams had been formed to nab the remaining accused. A case has been registered against 13 members of the gang.