india

Updated: May 22, 2019 23:18 IST

In a bizarre incident, a 27-year-old man has been arrested after being accused of having unnatural sex with cows at a shelter in Ayodhya.

Police said the accused, Raj Kumar, was caught by volunteers of the cow shelter on Monday night when he was targeting a calf. The volunteers thrashed Kumar, who was drunk, and handed him over to the local police.

Kumar was sent to jail after an FIR was registered under sections 377/ 511 of the Indian Penal Code (attempt of unnatural sex) and section 11 of the Cruelty to Animals Act (inflicting pain or suffering on animals), the police said. Inspector of Ayodhya Kotwali, Jagdish Upadhyay, said over phone that the incident occurred at Karatliya Baba Ashram where a cow shelter has been operating for many years.

“The accused was identified as Raj Kumar who works as a contractual labourer in Ayodhya. He was under the influence of alcohol when he was brought to the police station,” he said.

The police said the shelter volunteers first noticed an outsider on the premises while scanning the footage of closed-circuit television cameras that had been installed a few days ago.

“They came across this footage of a man involved in the act. Since then, volunteers started keeping vigil,” said Upadhyay, adding that the footage showed the accused having unnatural sex with five cows.