Seoni: On June 19, 2024, dozens of cow carcasses were discovered in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh. The administration promptly called a veterinarian to examine the bodies before burying them. Postmortem results revealed that the cows' throats had been slit between June 17 and 18. The police have detained seven individuals in connection with the case and identified three additional suspects from Nagpur.
Investigations have uncovered that cow smugglers operating in Madhya Pradesh are receiving financial support from Hyderabad and Nagpur. The detained smugglers in Seoni admitted during interrogation that they were in contact with three Nagpur-based smugglers. These smugglers had purchased cows from an animal market and intended to transport them to Hyderabad via Nagpur. According to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, the detained individuals include Shadab, Wahid, Irfan, Ramdas Uike, and Santosh. Ramdas and Santosh have previous records of cattle smuggling, and Wahid and Shadab each have prior cases under the Animal Cruelty Act.
Seoni SP Rakesh Singh stated that two of the dead cows had ear tags, which are used for identification during cattle sales. Most of the tags had been cut off, and the ears removed. These tags helped the police track down the suspects. SP Singh noted that the detained smugglers were funded by counterparts in Nagpur and Hyderabad. Due to increased police vigilance, the cow smugglers resorted to killing the cows and disposing of their bodies to evade capture. Police and villagers discovered 54 cow carcasses. SP Singh suggested that the smugglers intended to incite communal tension, hoping that the police would ease their strictness, allowing the smugglers to transport other cows via alternate routes.
The police estimate that 12 to 15 individuals were involved in the slaughter of the cows. Currently, seven people are in custody, with three more identified from Nagpur. Their names will be disclosed upon arrest. During police questioning, the suspects revealed that their buyers instructed them to kill the cows and discard the bodies. Over the last decade, the police have mapped sensitive districts along cattle smuggling routes, including Barwani, Khargone, Burhanpur, Ujjain, Ratlam, Neemuch, Seoni, Balaghat, and Betul.
On June 19, 19 cow carcasses were found in the Wainganga river near Pindari in Seoni district, with 32 more discovered in the Dhuma area. The cows' necks had been cut, and some bodies were discarded in nearby forests. With the help of villagers, the police retrieved the carcasses from the river and buried them. In a similar incident in July 2023, ten cow heads were found in Seoni district, discarded on roadsides and fields, with one found in a village well. Hindu organizations claimed that these acts were part of a conspiracy to incite riots, potentially linked to the Bakrid festival.
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