A Muslim man was reportedly beaten to death by self-styled cow protectors in Karnataka on Saturday.
Puneet Kerehalli, the accused, allegedly stopped cattle trader Idris Pasha in the afternoon while he was transporting cattle. Idris reportedly provided cattle market documents, however, Puneet demanded ₹2 lakh and beat him up along with his associates when he refused to pay.
Vehicle carrying cattle intercepted
On Friday night, Kerehalli and his gang intercepted a vehicle carrying cattle. They stopped the vehicle in front of the Sathanur police station, according to a police source, and pursued Pasha and Irfan, the loader. While pursuing Pasha, two of the men assaulted Syed Zaheer, the driver, who was standing near the container. A police constable, however, intervened and took Zaheer and Kerehalli to the police station.
According to the police source, even though Pasha had shown documents proving he purchased the cattle from a local market, Kerehalli and others allegedly assaulted him and asked him to go to Pakistan. Pasha later succumbed to his injuries after being beaten.
Idris Pasha's corpse was discovered along a road in the Sathnur Village of Karnataka's Ramanagara district.
Kerehalli, who was unaware of Pasha's condition, filed a police report against the three. Based on Kerehalli's complaint, the police arrested the container's driver, Syed Zaheer, for illegal cow transportation. After the police started their investigation, they came to know that Pasha had died after being allegedly beaten up by Karehalli and others.
Kerehalli on the run
Kerehalli, the leader of a 'cow protection force,' is on the run.
Based on Kerehalli's complaint, the police arrested the driver of the container, Syed Zaheer, for illegal cow transportation.
Zaheer also filed a complaint against Kerehalli and his associates, after which the police registered a case on charges of murder, wrongful restraint, and intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace.
