Kasaragod police arrest 2 cattle thieves from Mangaluru; hunt on for gang leader, 2 others

Kasaragod: Badiadka police arrested two men from Mangaluru in connection with the theft of a cow from Kanyappady in Badiadka panchayat, and launched a search for three other members of the gang, including the alleged kingpin. Police said the gang had been targeting stray cattle across Kasaragod and Dakshina Kannada districts.

The arrested persons have been identified as Razik (21) of Jokatte in Mangaluru and Mohammed Irbaz (24) of Ullal, near the Kerala-Karnataka border. They were picked up from Mangaluru city on Friday.

Police also impounded a Bengaluru-registered Mahindra Xylo allegedly used in the theft. During interrogation, the accused reportedly told police that they had sold the stolen cow to a slaughterhouse in Ullal.

The cow, worth around ₹30,000, belonged to K M Mohammed of Kanyappady. According to his complaint, the cow was stolen in the intervening night of June 15 and June 16.

According to Badiadka Station House Officer - Inspector Anoop Krishna R P, Mohammed had left the gate of his house open, allowing the cow to wander outside. The gang allegedly spotted the animal, forced it into the Xylo and sped away. "The gang usually targets stray cattle, which is why very few complaints are lodged," the officer said.

Police said the gang had modified the Xylo by removing the middle row of seats, creating enough space to load cattle through the side door. The front and rear seats acted as side rails to keep the animal from moving during transport.

Police said they identified the vehicle and the suspects after examining CCTV footage. Four days ago, a police team laid a trap near the Talapady toll plaza after receiving information that the Xylo would pass through the area. However, the gang is believed to have got wind of the operation and escaped through an interior road into Karnataka.

But the emboldened gang came again looking for cattle in the early hours of Friday. "A motorcyclist spotted the Xylo trailing another stray bull in the area and alerted us," said Anoop Krishna. His team tracked the vehicle to Mangaluru and arrested two of its occupants. "One of the arrested had joined the gang only recently, while the other worked with them intermittently," said the officer.

Police believe the arrest of the remaining suspects, particularly the alleged kingpin, is crucial to unravelling the wider cattle theft network. "We have been tracking this gang for the past 10 days," the officer said.

The investigation was led by Sub-Inspector Sukumaran and assisted by Assistant Sub-Inspector Prasad, Senior Civil Police Officer Gokul, and Civil Police Officers Ajith, Shrinesh and Hariprasad. The arrested persons have been remanded in judicial custody.