Hyderabad: Cattle 'mafia' breaks into animal shelter, steal bulls

Hyderabad: On Monday midnight the alleged goons of cattle mafia broke into the Jeeyar Swami Dhyan Foundation (JSDF) Gaushala in Hyderabad and stole 20- 25 bulls which are involved in a property case. The gang members burst crackers outside the shelter, trespassed into the premises before taking away bulls.

A complaint was lodged by the foundation at the Shamshabad police station. The police registered a case against the gang members, who stole bulls and damaged JSDF property.

According to complainant Harish Kakarla, member of the foundation, a group of people was standing outside the shelter shouting and creating chaos, intimidating and threatening the staff and workers. They had come with trucks and were forcing the staff to hand over some bulls. The staff informed them that the court stay had be obtained to release them. "To take cattle from the gaushala they need to get a vet who would give a fit-for-travel certificate. They need to pay care and maintenance cost to gaushala for keeping them, as prescribed by law".

He said the goons were implacable and said that "If we don't give them cattle now, they will come back at night, break walls and take them which is precisely what they did. Harish said that Gaushala is home to more than 650 cows, bulls and calves rescued from trafficking in illegal trucks and from illegal slaughterhouses. The foundation volunteers have faced similar multiple threats and attacks by goons of cattle mafia. Representatives of the mafia are still at large. No arrests have been made and no action taken, he said demanding authorities to take strict action against the gang.