Archive · 21 Jul 2026
Police bust inter-state cattle smuggling ring worth Rs 80-100 crore
Police in Uttar Pradesh found a big group of people who were illegally moving cows from Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal through Bihar.
They think these people were doing this to sell the cows for slaughter.
The police found out that these people had moved a lot of money, around ₹80-100 crore, through different bank accounts over many years.
They have caught 11 people so far, including one man named Raja Qureshi from West Bengal.
The police think this group was breaking the law by moving cows without the right papers and by slaughtering them, which is against the law in some places.
Police in Sonbhadra, UP, uncovered an inter-state cattle smuggling network.
The syndicate allegedly transported cows from UP to West Bengal via Bihar for slaughter.
Bank transactions worth ₹80-100 crore were traced over several years.
11 individuals have been arrested, including Raja Qureshi from West Bengal.
The arrests involved suspects from Sonbhadra, Mirzapur (UP), and Bihar.
- Who
- Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district and suspects from UP, Bihar, and West Bengal
- What
- Unearthing of an inter-state cattle smuggling syndicate
- When
- Recent, with the latest arrest on Saturday
- Where
- Sonbhadra, Mirzapur (UP), Bihar, and Hooghli district (West Bengal)
- Why
- To transport cows from UP to West Bengal via Bihar for slaughter
Law Enforcement Perspective
Suspects' Perspective
Legality of Operations
Law Enforcement Perspective
The police view the operations as illegal cattle smuggling for slaughter, violating laws against cow slaughter and inter-state transportation without proper documentation.
Suspects' Perspective
The suspects may argue that their operations were legal trade, possibly with forged or manipulated documentation to bypass regulations.
- Estimated Transaction Value
- ₹80–100 crore
- Number of Arrests
- 11
- States Involved
- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal
- Main Accused
- Raja Qureshi
- Location of Arrest
- Hooghli district, West Bengal