A suspected cattle smuggler was injured in a police encounter in Haryana’s Nuh district after alleged cow smugglers opened fire on a police team during a late-night chase on the Nuh-Hodal road near the Mumbai Expressway.
Two other accused escaped, while police rescued four cattle allegedly being transported in a modified Eco ambulance vehicle to Uttar Pradesh for slaughter.
According to police, the CIA Nuh team, led by Sub-Inspector Mahender Singh, was conducting patrol and crime-prevention checks near the expressway when it received a tip that some residents of Utawad village were smuggling cattle in an ambulance vehicle.
The police set up a barricade on the Nuh-Hodal road and attempted to stop the suspicious vehicle. However, the driver allegedly accelerated, while the occupants opened fire at the police team in an attempt to flee.
During the chase, one of the vehicle’s tyres burst; however, the accused allegedly continued driving before abandoning the vehicle near Sarpanch Dhaba and fleeing towards nearby fields, police said. The accused allegedly continued firing at police while escaping.
In retaliatory firing, one of the accused, identified as Hammas, a resident of Utawad, sustained bullet wounds to both legs and was later admitted to Nalhar Medical College for treatment.
The police seized a country-made pistol, 10 live cartridges and three empty shells from the spot. Four cattle — including two cows, a bull and a calf — were rescued from the vehicle.
A case has been registered at the Nuh Sadar police station under relevant sections, and teams have been formed to trace the absconding accused.
