Police demolish illegal structures built for cattle smuggling at Nagrota

Jammu, Jul 6: A joint team of Jammu Police and JDA officials have demolished the illegal permanent structures raised on JDA land for the illegal storage and transit of cattle by the smugglers in Khanpora, Nagrota.

A Police spokesperson said that in a significant crackdown on bovine smuggling under “Operation Kamdhenu”, two separate attempts of illegal cattle transportation were thwarted during routine naka checking on the National Highway (NHW) in the Nagrota area, rescuing 34 bovine animals on Saturday.

Following the operation, two cases FIR No 141/2025 and FIR No 145/2025 were registered at Police Station Nagrota under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA Act).

Police identified the accused in these cases as Babur Chaudhary, son of Mohd Hussain, resident of Maraliyan, Miran Sahib, Jammu; Zakir Hussain, son of Ahmad Ali and Bashir Ahmed Kichloo, son of Haji Abraham, both residents of Khanpur, Nagrota. A truck, bearing registration number JK21D/0182, used in the transportation of the animals, was also seized.

“During the course of investigation, it came to the fore that the accused had illegally constructed permanent (pacca) sheds on land belonging to the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) in Khanpura, Nagrota. These unauthorized structures were being used as hubs for the illegal storage and transit of cattle,” spokesperson said.

Acting promptly and following due legal process, a joint team of Jammu Police and JDA officials conducted a demolition drive at the site and razed the illegal structures, spokesperson said. “This action highlights the Jammu & Kashmir Police’s firm resolve under Operation Kamdhenu to combat bovine smuggling, prevent the encroachment of government land, and uphold the rule of law across the Union Territory,” spokesperson added.