On October 10, in Pune, Gaurakshaks rescued two cows from the clutches of cow smugglers who were en route to a slaughterhouse in the city. Following a complaint filed by Gorakshak Upendra Balkavde, Iqbal Alam and two other smugglers were apprehended in connection with this incident.
In another occurrence within the Pune district, on October 9, authorities seized cow meat from a vehicle in Manchar.
Upendra Mahadev Balkawade, a 32-year-old employee at Hyundai Company in Pune, has been serving as the Pune district president of the All India Krishi Go Seva Sangh for the past two years.
Balkavde stated in his complaint, “On the 9th of October, 2023, at approximately 9:30 PM, I received a call from my fellow Gaurakshak. He informed me that two cows were being transported to Kondhwa, Pune, for slaughter in a Motor Tempo Vehicle with license plate number MH 12 QW 5747, originating from Rajaram Bridge, Pune. In response, my Gaurakshak colleagues, including Suraj Suresh Bandal, Ganesh Dattatray Sutar, Manish Mahadev Chavan, and I, embarked on a mission in motor car number MH 12 OT 1400, stationed at Dandekar Bridge. We intercepted the vehicle along the road leading to Swargate.”
He went on to say, “On the 9th of October, 2023, at approximately 11:45 pm, we observed the motor tempo heading towards Saaras Bagh, and promptly gave chase in our car. We signaled for the tempo driver to halt, but he persisted without stopping, proceeding past Savarkar Chowk, Mitra Mandal Chowk, Laxmi Narayan Chowk, and Diasplot Chowk.”
In his filed complaint, Upendra Balkavde supplemented, “Given the driver’s refusal to stop, I positioned my car in front of his vehicle at Golden Bakery Diasplot Gultekdi Pune around 00:05 am. All of us disembarked and inspected the tempo. The back of the tempo was concealed with green tarpaulin sheets. Upon removing the tarpaulin sheet, we found two live cows, one white and one black-and-white. I immediately contacted the police control room and summoned them to the location. Upon their arrival, we, along with the police, took custody of the tempo and proceeded to the Swargate police station in Pune.”
The three apprehended individuals have been identified as Iqbal Alam (22 years old, residing in Ghorpadi village, Pune), Rahim Ismail Shaikh (32 years old), and Deepak Lallan Singh Thakur (30 years old). During the questioning, Rahim Shaikh disclosed that the cows had been procured from Sanjay Pawar, a resident of Pandit Jawahar Lal Colony situated at Canal Road, behind Dasbhuja Ganapati Mandir on Karve Road in Pune.
A case pertaining to this matter has been lodged at Swargate police station, citing sections 5 and 9(A) of the Maharashtra Animal Protection Act of 1976, along with sections 11(1)D, 11(1)E, and 11(1)I of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960. The Gaurakshaks, in collaboration with the police, transported the cows to a local Jain Hindu Gaushala in Pune.
Upendra Balkavde, a dedicated Hindu activist, stated, “We, the Gaurakshaks, maintain an active presence in and around Pune city. The individuals involved in this case have been apprehended by the police and will face legal repercussions. We exert our utmost effort with the resources available to us. The smugglers were en route to Kondhwa. It’s worth noting that the Kondhwa area in Pune has become a known hiding spot for individuals associated with extremist activities. Recently, the NIA conducted operations and apprehended a few such individuals residing there. Additionally, slaughterhouses are also located in the same Kondhwa vicinity.”
Upendra Balkavde further added, “In this case, Sanjay Pawar, mentioned as the source of supply for these smugglers, has been apprehended in two similar incidents prior to this one. He has demonstrated a pattern of repeat offenses. While many cow smugglers transport their cargo to the Mumbai area, our group exerts substantial effort in and around Pune city to deter cow slaughter and safeguard Gaumata and Dharma.”
The incident was brought to attention in the early hours of October 9, when 405 kg of beef was discovered in a four-wheeler involved in an accident on Pune-Nashik Highway Road at Bhorwadi, within the jurisdiction of Manchar police station. A case has been filed against the unidentified driver, who is currently at large, and the anonymous owner of the vehicle.
Around 3:50 am on October 9, an unidentified individual was operating a Ritz car, registered under MH06AZ7781, at a high speed on the Pune-Nashik Highway. This vehicle collided with a pickup truck, bearing license plate MH14KQ7339, belonging to Akshay Shankar Thorat, a resident of Manchar Pimpalgaon in the Ambegaon taluka, from behind.
Partially cut organs and flesh of cattle weighing 405 kg worth Rs 81,000 were found in the car. The driver of the car escaped from the spot. A case has been registered against the driver and owner of the car under sections 279 and 427 of the Indian Penal Code, sections 184,134 (A)( B), and 177 of the Motor Vehicle Act, Sections 5, 5(c), and 9(a) of Maharashtra Animal Protection Amendment Act 1995, and section 11 of Indian Animal Protection Act.
