In one of the most intensive anti-cattle smuggling drives in Haryana’s recent history, Nuh police have registered 95 cases and arrested 188 accused between April 4 and June 14 — nearly 200 smugglers netted in just over 70 days — in a crackdown that has exposed the deep roots of an organised bovine trafficking network running through the heart of Mewat.
The operation has yielded recovery of 186 cows, 15 calves, 52 oxen and bulls, and seizure of 59 vehicles used to transport cattle. Seven encounters were recorded during the period, leaving nine accused injured.
Earlier data from a 50-day window had already flagged the scale of the problem — 68 FIRs, 137 arrests, and four cross-firing incidents — pointing to a network that does not yield without resistance.
Investigators have identified a cluster of villages that serve as nerve centres of the trade. Ghata Shamshabad and Utawar function as operational hubs where repeat offenders have been intercepted during armed police operations.
Luhinga Kalan and Palla, under the Punhana subdivision, have seen sustained crime branch operations targeting habitual traffickers. Basai Meo and Mau-Chopta sit astride major highways where vehicle blockades are routinely breached.
On the Rajasthan border fringe, Bhoot Ka Bas and Bhootlaka serve as origin and inter-state transit points — exploiting Nuh’s porous boundary with Alwar district.
Nuh SP Arpit Jain said the force has adopted a zero-tolerance approach. “There will be no place left in Mewat for those who engage in cattle smuggling. We are increasing vigilance, conducting raids on hotspots, and also running awareness drives — because for many villages, this has long seemed like a way of life. That has to change," said Jain.
The crackdown invokes the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan (HGS & GS) Act, 2015 — which prohibits cow trafficking, slaughter, and possession or consumption of beef in the state.
The current Nuh drive signals a deliberate shift — from registration of cases to sustained operational pressure on the ground, combining raids, encounters, and community outreach in a district where cattle smuggling has long straddled the line between organised crime and entrenched local economy.
