JATRAPUR: A cattle thief was allegedly caught red-handed by local residents and handed over to police in the early hours of Friday, after a cow was reported stolen from a house in West Para, Bansh Pukur Panchayat, under Jatrapur police station.
According to local sources, the owner grew suspicious after the cow’s calf, left behind by mistake, began crying at night. A search led residents to the accused near the barbed-wire border fence at Shalpukur, allegedly with the stolen cow. He was reportedly questioned, tied up, and beaten by locals before police were alerted.
Acting on the complaint, ASI Tapan Debnath, along with police personnel and TSR jawans, took the accused into custody and recovered the cow. He was later sent to Kathalia Community Health Centre for a medical examination. Jatrapur police station OC Parthanath Bhowmik confirmed the incident at a preliminary level.
Residents alleged the accused was involved in a spate of cattle thefts affecting six families over the past month, with the animals allegedly smuggled across the border into Bangladesh. A written complaint has been lodged, and a case registered.