A truck illegally transporting animals for slaughter from Jodia, Jamnagar, was intercepted by police. Acting on a complaint from cow protection activists in Rajkot and Morbi, the Jodia police intercepted the truck filled with 75 animals, which were later sent to a shelter in Rajkot.

The police have detained the truck’s cleaner while the driver managed to escape, and efforts are underway to locate him.

Jayendra Vaniya, president of Krupa Foundation Jivdaya Trust in Rajkot, along with Morbi-based cow protectors, received information that a large truck transporting numerous animals from Bhuj, Kutch, was en-route to a slaughterhouse in Jamnagar. The police were alerted, and a checkpoint was set up near Keshiya village in Jodia.

Late at night, the police stopped a truck with registration number GJ-04-7144 for inspection. Upon noticing the police, the truck driver abandoned the vehicle and fled, while the cleaner was caught. 

The cleaner identified himself as Asgarsha Shaikh, a labourer from Bhuj. He also disclosed the missing driver’s name was Dilawar Pathan, also a resident of Bhuj. The cleaner admitted that they were transporting the animals for slaughter and that he was assisting the driver.

Upon searching the truck, officers found two-tiered wooden planks stacked inside, with 75 buffaloes in a tight space tied with ropes. 

Preliminary investigations suggest the animals were being transported to a slaughterhouse in Jamnagar. 

Based on a complaint filed by Vaniya, Jodia police have registered a case against the truck driver and cleaner under animal cruelty laws. A knife was also recovered from the cleaner’s possession. 

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