Three Muslims smuggling cows for slaughter caught in police encounter
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India 
20 January, 2025
Case Summary
Three cow smugglers were caught after being shot in the legs by Ghaziabad police during an encounter in the Trans Hindon zone. When the police, along with the SWAT team, surrounded the smugglers, they opened fire on the officers. In retaliation, the police fired back, injuring the three suspects. The injured were taken to the hospital for treatment. During interrogation, the smugglers revealed that they were planning to slaughter a cow that night. They were also found to be absconding in a previous cow slaughter case. The police registered another case against them. The Tilamod police and Trans Hindon SWAT team had been returning from a raid in Farukhnagar when they received information about a truck parked near the airport boundary. The truck was reportedly being used for stealing cows. Upon reaching the location, the police observed 3–4 individuals tying cows in the jungle. When the police attempted to intervene, the smugglers fired at them and tried to flee. Three suspects were arrested while escaping. One of the injured, identified as Parvez from Meerut, confessed to being involved in cow slaughter in both Meerut and Ghaziabad. He admitted to participating in a cow slaughter incident near Kaka Farm House on December 30, 2024. The other two suspects, Mehtab from Shahjahanpur and Shamsher from Fatehpur were also arrested. The police recovered a truck, a pistol, rope, a knife, and other tools used in their activities.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The cow is considered sacred in the Hindu religion. Often, cows are slaughtered by non-Hindu perpetrators as a mark of insult to the Hindu faith. There have been several documented cases throughout history where cow slaughter is used as a method to insult the Hindu faith, convert Hindus (by force-feeding beef) and desecrate temples. In all cases of cow slaughter, there is a suspicion of religious animosity against Hindus working as a motivating factor, however, in the absence of any concrete indication, this case is being categorised as 'undecided'. If more details emerge, it would be added to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
