The police, with the help of local villagers, arrested all the five cow smugglers, after several hours of chase in the forest.
An alleged cow smuggler was lynched by a mob while his four partners were arrested by the police with the help of locals after nearly four hours of chase in the forests in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh today.
Five cow smugglers, who were attacked an injured by locals, were arrested and admitted to hospital, said Yogesh Rota, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Pachhad.
A truck carrying five cows and ten oxen was spotted by local people who chased the vehicle. Sensing trouble, the truck driver allegedly tried to smash one of the vehicles by hitting it from the rear, Mr Rolta said.
But when the police and people kept up the chase, the truck driver stopped the vehicle at Lawasa Chowki square and allegedly threw some cows out of the truck, he said. One cow died on the spot while five others received serious injuries.
Abandoning the truck, the five alleged cow smugglers took shelter in a nearby forest at Lawasa Chowki adjacent to Sarahan-Chandigarh road, said the Deputy Superintendent of Police.
The police, with the help of local villagers, arrested all the five cow smugglers, after several hours of chase in the forest.
The villagers, who far outnumbered the policemen, beat up the alleged cow smugglers after they were overpowered, police sources said.
One of the arrested persons identified as Noman (28), a resident of Rampur village of Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, died at Sarahan hospital where he was taken.
A case of murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code was registered on the complaint filed by Imran, a relative of Noman, by Pachhad police.
The body of Noman has been sent for postmortem.
Mr Rolta said that other four accused of cow smuggling, Mohd Nishu (37), driver of the truck, Guljar (22), Salman (20) and Gulfam (24), all residents of village Rampur of Saharanpur district, would be produced in a local court.
All the accused have been booked under different sections of Cruelty against Animals Act.
The truck, carrying the oxen and cows, was impounded by police.