Vizianagaram: 26 cows killed in road accident; 'beef demand spur cattle smuggling'

Vizianagaram: The death of 26 cows in the Vizianagaram road accident has blown the lid off the illegal smuggling of cattle from parts of Southern Odisha and north coastal Andhra to Hyderabad and a few other parts of the country. The lorry was carrying 47 cows from Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) to Telangana when it met with an accident near Gorle Seetharamapuram village under Bobbili Mandal in Vizianagaram district in the wee hours of Sunday,

Eyewitnesses said the accident was caused due to potholes and bad roads inundated with stormwater. The accident led to a traffic jam on the road for hours. The driver and owner of the vehicle fled from the scene.

Preliminary investigation has revealed that the lorry was carrying 47 cattle. Twenty-six cows were killed and the remaining cattle fled to the nearby farm fields. The owner of the vehicle was identified as G Krishna. Police have registered a case and the investigation is on.

Police sources said the gangs from neighboring Odisha and Karnataka have been involved in the illegal transportation of the cattle to various destinations from north coastal Andhra Pradesh. The shortage of beef in other states was one of the major reasons for the illegal transportation of cattle.

The illegal cattle transportation in large containers and trucks from North Andhra was exposed a few years ago when 15 cattle and two persons were killed and after the vehicle overturned near Sileru in the erstwhile Vizag district.

In another incident, more than 20 cattle were killed after a vehicle overturned in a village under Koyyuru Mandal in erstwhile Vizag Agency. Though the police have registered over 250 cases, seized over 3,000 cattle, and arrested over 600 persons, the illegal trade continues in the region.

"We are registering cases under the Prevention of Cruelty against Animals Act. A special team has been formed to collect intelligence about such activities and conduct raids," said Vizianagaram police chief Deepika M Patil. Police are chalking out plans to set up special check posts and need to scan the cattle fairs in the region to check on the illegal transportation of the cattle