JAIPUR: Alwar police have been asked to take preventive measures, including arrests, if they come across any suspicious activities by cow vigilantes.

The police have already begun the process of identifying gau-rakshaks in the area.

“No one will be allowed to take law into their hands. Alwar police are working to keep a check on cattle smugglers and miscreants who indulge in violence under the grab of cow protection. The police will identify such people after evaluating criminal records. They will maintain a strict vigil on their activities and will take preventive steps, including arrests, if required,” Jaipur Range IG VK Singh told TOI on Thursday.

The police crackdown on cow vigilantes comes after the lynching of Rakbar Khan allegedly by cow vigilantes in Alwar district on July 22. Three persons have been arrested, while the fourth accused is on the run.

So far this year, as many as 39 cases of smuggling have been reported in which 28 smugglers have been arrested. The lynching of 55-year-old Pehlu Khan in April last year had triggered widespread outrage.

