In Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, Kithaur police arrested wanted criminal Kuldeep alias Sonu Pandit, a resident of Kasampur Machhra, who was involved in cattle smuggling and slaughter.
On the night of 29 October 2026, a Kithaur police team conducting routine checking on Bahroda Road spotted a suspicious Mahindra pickup without number plates. When the vehicle was signalled to stop, the driver sped away.
Police gave chase; the pickup crashed into a eucalyptus tree. Officers surrounded and arrested the occupant on the spot. A live cow with its hind legs tied was recovered from the vehicle, along with ropes.
The accused identified himself as Kuldeep alias Sonu Pandit, son of Bijendra. He was wanted in a cow-slaughter-related case (registered at Kithaur police station) and carried a ₹25,000 reward.
During questioning he admitted prior involvement in transporting cattle for slaughter. Police have initiated further legal action.
Some accounts of the incident described elements of an encounter during the pursuit, with the accused sustaining injuries and being sent for treatment after arrest.
Police account
“On the night of 29 October, while checking on Bahroda Road, a numberless pickup was signalled to stop. The driver fled. After a chase the vehicle hit a tree. We surrounded and arrested the occupant. A live cow with hind legs tied was recovered from the rear. The accused is Kuldeep alias Sonu Pandit of Kasampur Machhra, wanted in a cow-slaughter case with a ₹25,000 reward. He has admitted earlier involvement in cattle smuggling for slaughter. Further investigation and legal proceedings are underway.”
The arrest fits a wider pattern in which individuals or groups operating under the banner of cow protection have been accused of targeting ordinary traders, milk suppliers and those engaged in lawful livestock movement or related commerce.
Across parts of India, self-styled cow vigilantes have been linked to assaults, killings of transporters and traders, and vandalism of shops and vehicles, frequently without any official permit or legal authority to intercept or inspect cattle.
These actions have repeatedly affected people whose work involves milk production, dairy supply chains or inter-state livestock trade that is otherwise legal under state rules.
Police and courts have in multiple cases treated such extrajudicial interventions as criminal offences rather than protected activity.
The Meerut case underlines the distinction between lawful enforcement of animal-protection statutes by authorised agencies and unauthorised private actions carried out in the name of the same cause.
Investigations continue into the full extent of the network linked to the arrested accused.
