Prayagraj: Handia police have arrested a woman and her son and daughter in connection with a cattle theft case and alleged violations of the Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act.Police said they seized three cleavers, two wooden chopping blocks, cow hide and Rs 880 in cash from the accused during the operation conducted on Sept 7.Those arrested were identified as Rachna alias Ranjana (52), her son Sagar Shukla (22) and daughter Anita Shukla (20), all residents of Bajha Mishran village.According to police, Nagesh Kumar Tripathi of Chaura Badaira lodged an FIR at Handia police station alleging that his cow had gone missing on Sept 3. During a search, the animal’s remains were allegedly found near a well in the Bajha Mishran area.Based on the complaint, police registered a case on Sept 6 under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3, 5 and 8 of the Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act against five persons.Acting on the complaint, Handia police arrested the three members of the family from Bajha Mishran village on Monday and recovered the suspected slaughtering instruments and cash from their possession. Following the recovery, Section 4/25 of the Arms Act was also added to the case.Police said efforts are underway to arrest two other accused, brothers Rajjan Shukla and Ankit Shukla, who are absconding.During the investigation, police alleged that the family used to catch stray or unclaimed cattle and subsequently hand them over to persons involved in cattle smuggling and illegal slaughter for monetary gains. Investigators are also examining whether the accused were directly involved in cow slaughter. Police said the exact role of each accused would become clearer after the arrest and interrogation of the absconding suspects.
