Assam police have arrested Chan Mia, who is alleged to be a key handler of a cattle theft network operating across lower Assam, nearly two months after he reportedly evaded arrest in an earlier cattle theft case.
Mia was arrested from Barpeta town by a team from Alopati Char Police Station following specific information, police said. His arrest came after the recovery of 11 cattle that were allegedly transported by boat to Bhatnapaiti on Saturday.
According to police, local residents noticed the movement of the cattle and alerted the village defence party, which then informed Alopati Char police. Officer-in-charge Bidyut Thakuria and his team reached the area after receiving the information and recovered the cattle before bringing them to the police station.
The latest case is reportedly connected to an earlier incident involving the alleged theft of 11 cattle from Hatimura in Guwahati. According to the field report, the cattle were transported through a river route and were allegedly intended to be delivered to Mia.
The alleged thieves were caught by local residents during the earlier incident, while Mia reportedly managed to escape arrest. Police now suspect that he may have been involved in the movement of stolen cattle in other cases as well.
In another alleged incident, two stolen buffaloes were reportedly brought to the area. Residents became suspicious after one of the buffaloes was sacrificed during Eid al-Adha. The second buffalo was later returned to its owner, according to the field report.
Local residents said Mia had been staying in Barpeta town while evading arrest. Police eventually traced him after receiving a tip-off and took him into custody.
Residents have also alleged the involvement of another person, identified as Azizul Haque, in the suspected cattle smuggling network. According to the allegations, cattle stolen from different parts of lower Assam were handed over to Mia and Haque for further sale.
Residents further claimed that the two men had allegedly been involved in the illegal cattle trade for a considerable period.
