One person was arrested following a gunfight with police on Sunday for allegedly slaughtering cows in Masuri area of Ghaziabad district, a senior official said.
The accused Shanu, 26, opened fire along with his accomplice on the police team and sustained a bullet injury in his right leg in retaliatory firing by the police personnel, Superintendent of Police (Rural), Ghaziabad, Iraj Raja told PTI.
He said that on Friday carcasses of cattle were noticed by residents of Kazipura industrial area of Masuri and Avantika colony in Kavi Nagar police station jurisdiction, following which some anti-cow slaughter outfits created a ruckus and demanded that the guilty be arrested and stringent action taken against them.
Following a tip-off, Masuri police in the early hours on Sunday cornered two persons who were allegedly planning to slaughter some bovines near the minor Rajwaha canal in Nahal village of Masuri, Raja said.
“They duo opened fired at the police team which retaliated with firing in self-defence and one of the accused sustained a bullet injury in his right leg,” the SP said, adding that he was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The injured man has been identified as Shanu, a resident of Dasna town of Masuri, while his accomplice Bilal fled from the spot, police said.
The official said, police recovered one country made pistol of .315 bore, one live cartridge, a used cartridge, two slaughtering knifes and a rope from Shanu’s bag.
“He has confessed to butchering cows and throwing their carcasses on Friday and Saturday in Masuri and Kavi Nagar areas.?Earlier also he was arrested many times for illegal slaughtering of bovines,” he said.
Police will slap charges under the Gangster Act, Goonda Act and National Security Act (NSA) upon him and he will be expelled from the district, SP Raja added.
