Picture for representational purpose only.

ALWAR/JAIPUR: After a monthlong operation, Alwar police have identified suspects who are indulged in criminal activities under the garb of cow vigilantism. Alwar SP Rajendra Singh said that police sifted through case files of 5,000 suspects who have been involved in different crimes. “Of these 5,000, about 500 were found to be involved in cases of bovine smuggling. We have identified several criminals who operate under the grab of cow vigilantes,” Singh said.

The Alwar police said that genuine cow vigilantes have been asked not to take law into their hands and inform the police whenever they come across with incidents of cattle smuggling. “There are some people who have criminal background and are also actively involved in vigilantism at local level. These people have been identified; some of them have been issued notices under Section 110 (security for good behavior) of CrPc,” Singh said.

The Alwar SP said that officials are conducting field surveys and public awareness campaigns to ensure that people report such cases. A similar operation, to make the database of alleged cow vigilantes, is being conducted by all 38 police stations, by visiting every nook and corner of the district. The sources told TOI that the police are working on a two-fold strategy to ensure that bot cattle smuggling and vigilantes could be curb effectively. “These 500 cattle smugglers are those who appear in our lists of proclaimed offenders (PO), standing warranties, and absconders. A majority of those wanted, hails from Haryana. The systematic database helps us in better monitoring over criminals,” Singh said, adding that the matter of wanted smugglers will also be discussed with their counterparts in Haryana , during the next inter-state border meeting.

