Madhya Pradesh police have arrested 24 persons in connection with the killing of more than 60 bovine animals, including cows, in Seoni district last week.
Eight of the arrested accused are from Nagpur, where the conspiracy to kill these animals was hatched to whip up communal frenzy, the police said on Friday.
Carcasses of 18 cows with their necks slit were found in Vainganga river near Pindrai village in Seoni, while those of 28 cows and oxen were found in Kakartala forest area under Dhuma police station limits in the district on June 19 and 20. More such carcasses were found in the district later.
"Police have so far arrested a total of 24 persons in this connection. The accused persons were assigned the job of killing the bovine animals in return for money and local residents [of Seoni] were also found to be involved in the crime," a police official said.
"The police headquarters in Bhopal was also monitoring the case as the incident was aimed at disrupting the communal harmony, and it had directed its personnel to ensure the arrest of those involved in this inhuman act," the official added.
Initially, a case was registered against the unidentified accused under the Madhya Pradesh Govansh Vadh Pratishedh Adhiniyam, 2004 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 in this regard, he said, adding that the police first arrested Wahid Khan and his six associates based on the leads.
During their interrogation, the arrested accused revealed that Mr. Khan made arrangements for the killing of bovine animals on the instructions of one Nagpur-based Israr Ahmed in exchange for a hefty amount of money, the official said.
Mr. Israr and his associates reached Seoni on June 17 and then they roped in Sana-ur-Rehman, Abdul Karim and Rafiq Khan also for the job by offering them money, he said.
Inspector General of Police (Jabalpur zone) Anil Singh Kushwaha earlier said a total of 62 bovine animals — 19 cows and 43 oxen — were killed in Seoni.
The investigation suggested that slaughtering of these animals was aimed at whipping up communal frenzy, he said.
The police probe has revealed that Mr. Israr, a resident ofNagpur, had paid ₹30,000 as advance amount to the main accused Mr. Khan, 28, against whom provisions of the National Security Act (NSA) have been invoked for gathering the bovine animals in Seoni, according to the senior police officer.
The police arrested Mr. Israr and during his questioning, he told them that he had chalked out the plan to kill cows with the help of his associates.
After the carcasses of cows and oxen were found last week, it was suspected that these domestic animals were killed by smugglers amid stern action being taken by the police to curb the menace of cow smuggling in the district.
Seoni shares its border with Nagpur in Maharashtra where cow slaughter is forbidden by law like in Madhya Pradesh.
