3 min readLucknowFeb 1, 2026 08:16 AM IST
First published on: Feb 1, 2026 at 08:16 AM IST
Police busted an inter-state cattle smuggling racket in Mirzapur and arrested four people, including Sonbarsa village pradhan and Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) district president on Saturday, officials said.
According to police, the racket came to light during the investigation of a cow smuggling case registered earlier this week after the arrest of Anil Prajapati alias Jhangatu, (28), the driver of a pickup vehicle carrying five cattle to Bihar for alleged slaughter.
Acting on the leads revealed during the probe, police on Saturday arrested three more people, including village pradhan Shyam Bahadur Patel (56), for their alleged involvement in the racket. The other two accused have been identified as Dileep Kumar Ram alias Subhash (35), the owner of the pickup vehicle, and Rajesh Kol (27), the caretaker of the cow shelter. Dileep Kumar, a native of Bihar, is reportedly involved in three criminal cases, while the Patel has one case registered against him.
The police further said that the village pradhan’s son, Sonu Patel, was also involved in the illegal operation and efforts are underway to nab him.
Mirzapur SSP Somen Barma said all four accused were produced in court and remanded in judicial custody.
According to police, on the intervening night of January 26 and 27, they received a tip-off that cattle were being smuggled in a pickup vehicle. Based on the information, they intercepted the vehicle and recovered five cattle.
Prajapati tried to flee, but the vehicle overturned on the road. He sustained injuries and was taken into custody, police said, adding that during interrogation, he confessed to his involvement in the smuggling operation and revealed the names of the other accused.
Police also found he has 11 criminal cases registered against him, including cow slaughter, gang activities, and other serious offences.
Confirming the development, Circle Officer Amar Bahadur said, “The accused used to steal cattle from the gaushala and smuggle them to other places as part of an organised racket.”
When contacted, Ram Snehi, media in-charge of Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), said that Shyam Bahadur Patel has been falsely implicated in the case and claimed that his name has surfaced due to a misunderstanding.
In Uttar Pradesh, there are around 7,500 gaushalas, of which nearly 7,200 are run by the government, while the remaining are managed by non-government organisations. Government-run shelters house approximately 12.5 lakh cattle, while NGO-run shelters have around 1.25 lakh. The cattle kept in these shelters are tagged for identification to prevent theft and ensure proper monitoring, officials said.
In Uttar Pradesh, there are around 7,500 gaushalas, of which nearly 7,200 are run by the government, while the remaining are managed by non-government organisations. 
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