1st in Chanda, cops invoke MCOCA on cattle smugglers

Chandrapur: Chandrapur police have invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against an alleged cattle smuggling syndicate led by notorious accused Imran Babbu Sheikh. The move marks the first MCOCA action against organised cattle trafficking in the district.The case stems from an April 6 operation carried out by the local crime branch and Ramnagar police. The joint team had intercepted two trucks on the Mul-Chandrapur route following a tip-off about illegal transportation of cattle towards Telangana. Police said 63 cattle were found crammed inside the vehicles in ‘extremely cruel conditions', with their limbs and mouths tightly tied. Two animals were found dead inside the trucks.Investigators claimed the cattle were being transported to a slaughterhouse and that accused lacked mandatory transport permits, veterinary certification. A case was registered under provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, and BNS.Based on the gang's involvement in repeated organised crimes, Chandrapur police sought approval for MCOCA from Nagpur Range Special Inspector General of Police, which was granted on May 25.