17 calves saved from slaughter

“I received a tip and sought police help. We had similarly saved about 125 cattle near Manor in the last week of August,” said Ravindra Sengaonkar,Superintendent of Police (Thane Rural).

Cow slaughter is illegal under Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act,1976.

Chetan Sharma,animal rights activist and member of NGO People for Animals,who assisted police in the raid,said,“The animals were to be slaughtered during Eid. The six-month-old calves had been crammed into the small truck,with no space to breathe or move.” Truck driver Manoj Indekar and accomplice Mustafa Amir Mohammed were arrested but later released on bail. The vehicle was seized. The calves have been sent to a shelter near Bhiwandi.

“There is a large presence of cattle mafia in the state. Illegal slaughterhouses must be shut,” said Ambika Hiranandani,head,People for Animals (Maharashtra).