Three cattle smugglers held after encounter in UP, two sustain bullet injuries

Shahjahanpur (UP): Three cattle smugglers were arrested after an encounter here, with two of them sustaining bullet injuries when police resorted to retaliatory firing, an officer said on Tuesday.

He said the accused Naseem (25), Salman (28) and Afzal (29), all residents of Talgaon under Nigohi police station limits, were arrested late on Monday night.

According to Superintendent of Police Rajesh Dwivedi, police received a tip-off about some suspected cattle smugglers gathering near the Kathina river in Nigohi area.

"When police reached the spot, the accused opened fire. In retaliatory firing by the police, Nazeem and Salman were injured. Afzal was caught after a chase, while two others managed to escape," Dwivedi said.

The SP said during interrogation, the accused admitted to slaughtering two cattle on March 28. A case against unidentified persons have already been registered after this incident.

Police recovered two country-made pistols, a car and butchering equipment from the accused, Dwivedi said.

The injured smugglers have been admitted to a hospital, he added.