28 Cows rescued from illegal cow smuggling in Tonk, Rajasthan
Tonk, Rajasthan, India 
8 July, 2025
Case Summary
In the Mehandwas area of the Tonk district in Rajasthan, 28 cows were being illegally smuggled in a container. The police seized the vehicle and rescued the cows. As per media reports, when the container carrying the cows was passing near Mehandwas toll plaza, the police found it suspicious and they stopped the vehicle. Mehandwas police station in-charge Omprakash said that he had received information that a container was illegally transporting cows from Kota to Jaipur. Based on the information from the people, the police chased it, and on seeing the container, they signalled it to stop. During this action, many Gausevaks (cow protectors) also reached the spot. The police found 28 cows inside the container. The police seized the container and got the cows released in a Gaushala, a cow shelter. The driver carrying out the smuggling managed to flee. The police then registered a case against the absconding driver. The police assured that they would arrest the accused and take further action against him.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The cow is considered sacred in the Hindu religion. Often, cows are smuggled for slaughter 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 Hindu temples. In all cases of cow smuggling or slaughter, there is a suspicion of religious animosity against Hindus working as a motivating factor. However, in the absence of any concrete evidence that the crime was religiously motivated, this case is being categorised under the 'Undecided' database. If more details emerge that demonstrate religious animosity as a motivating factor behind the crime, then it will be added to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
