Pune City Police have apprehended two individuals and rescued eight camels allegedly being transported illegally in a truck bound for Karnataka.
Social activist Krushna Satpute filed the FIR at Sinhagad Road Police Station on May 14 in connection with this incident.
The arrested persons have been identified as truck driver Arun Chinpapa (28) and cleaner Lakhan Jadhav (30).
Chinpapa and Jadhav have been charged under sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960. According to the FIR, honorary animal welfare officer Shivshankar Swamy received information about camels allegedly being transported in a truck to Karnataka for slaughter.
Swamy notified Satpute, who, along with his associates, intercepted the truck near Wadgaon Bridge on the Mumbai-Bangalore highway. Upon inspection, they discovered camels confined in deplorable conditions inside the truck and immediately alerted the police control room. A police team promptly arrived at the scene for further investigation. Upon examination, police found eight camels in the truck with their mouths and legs tied up with rope. There was reportedly no provision for food and water for the camels.
"After filing the FIR, the camels were safely relocated to the Pune Panjarpol Trust in Bhosari. We suspect that the camels were being transported to Karnataka for illegal slaughter. The truck transporting the camels bore a Karnataka registration plate. We trust that the police will thoroughly investigate the matter and apprehend those responsible," Swamy told Indian Express.
