Three cattle smugglers arrested after gunfight in Bareilly forest

On Monday morning, police received information about suspicious activity linked to cattle smuggling in the Alinagar forest near Nawabganj police station limits. A team surrounded the area and, as officers moved in, the suspects allegedly opened fire with country-made weapons. Police returned fire, leading to a brief gunfight. Yaseen Khan, a resident of Labheda village under Hafizganj police station, suffered a bullet injury to his leg, and Sub-inspector Yogendra Singh was also injured. The three suspects—Yaseen Khan and his two sons, Afzal Khan and Ajmal Khan—were arrested. Officers recovered a bovine tied with rope, a country-made pistol, live cartridges, a knife, ropes and wooden sticks. Both injured individuals were taken to a community health centre, with Yogendra Singh treated there and Yaseen Khan referred to the district hospital. Police said the arrested men are being questioned to determine if they had links with a larger cattle-smuggling network.

Police said preliminary inquiry showed the arrested men were allegedly involved in a cow slaughter case reported around a month ago in Sataiya village.