Thane: Animal smugglers in nakabandi net

The car in which the animals were being smuggled

During a nakabandi to curb wood smuggling in the forest area of Wada in Thane, the local cops helped forest officials rescue a bullock and two cows while they were being smuggled to Gujarat in a car. While trying to escape the cops, the accused banged the vehicle into a parked tractor. Thereafter, they abandoned it and fled into the forest.

The Wada police have registered an FIR against three unknown people for allegedly trying to smuggle the animals. The cops said that there have been some recent instances of wood smuggling and they were patrolling the area when the incident happened.

Speaking with mid-day, forest officer Shyamsundar Machhindra Bahir said, "Recently many cases of wood smuggling were reported from Wada area, hence vigil has been stepped up. During a nakabandi early on Thursday we spotted an Innova car in the area. We tried to stop the vehicle but the driver tried to run it over us. Somehow we saved ourselves and the car crashed into a parked tractor. Three accused, who were in the car, managed to flee the spot." "We seized the car and handed it over to the police. Inside the vehicle we found a bullock and two cows, which were being transported to Gujarat.

We still don't know the reason behind it," Bahir added. Speaking to mid-day, senior inspector of Wada police station, Sudhir Sankhe said, "We have registered a case under various sections of IPC and are looking for the accused with the help of the car number."