Cow smugglers open fire on police during 5 km chase, abandon van with eight cruelly tied cows

Case Summary
A fierce encounter took place between cow smugglers and a joint team of Jurhara police station, DST, and QRT in the Deeg district. During a blockade, police attempted to stop a pickup truck suspected of transporting cows, but the smugglers opened indiscriminate fire. The smugglers fired 12 rounds at the police, prompting the officers to retaliate with 21 rounds. After a high-speed chase spanning 5 kilometers, the smugglers abandoned their pickup filled with cows and fled into the fields. Jurhara Police Station Officer Amit Kumar stated that on January 27, acting on an informant’s tip, a blockade was set up in the Sahasan forest by the police station team, DST, and QRT. A suspicious pickup truck was spotted approaching from the Somka area. When officers signalled it to stop, the vehicle rammed through the barricades and continued moving. The smugglers then fired at the police as the vehicle headed toward Bamanwadi. During the chase, the occupants of the pickup not only fired at the police but also pelted them with stones. In response, the police returned fire in self-defence and managed to puncture the rear tyre of the vehicle. Despite this, the smugglers continued to flee. After a relentless 5-kilometer pursuit, they abandoned the pickup in Bamanwadi village and escaped into the standing crops. Upon inspecting the vehicle, police found eight cows cruelly tied with ropes. Additionally, a 12-bore firearm, two live cartridges, one empty cartridge, and five litres of country liquor were recovered from the pickup's cabin. The rescued cows were given medical care before being sent to a Gaushala. In total, the Jurhara police station, DST, and QRT teams fired 21 rounds in self-defence—15 from an SLR and six from a 9mm pistol. Meanwhile, the smugglers fired 12 rounds at the police. Authorities have seized the pickup and launched a search operation to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
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
Complaint filed

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown