Dechen Dolkar
The police on July 8 arrested a 52-year-old father and his 24-year-old son in a case related to raiding and slaughtering cattle.
Seven cattle were reported missing from Khasakha and Langdru villages of Mewang Gewog in Thimphu.
Villagers claim that cattle were raided from the barn and pastureland where they were tethered.
The suspects, originally from Samtse, currently reside in Langdru where they own a pig farm.
According to police, there have been previous incidents and complaints about cattle disappearing from the village.
Recently, a villager reported the disappearance of his cattle to the police. Since the suspect was already under surveillance, the police immediately went to check his house upon receiving the complaint.
Police found fresh beef, approximately 307 kilogrammes, inside the suspect’s house.
Pema Choden from Khasakha village lost two cows on the same night.
She said the cattle were tethered in the shed in the evening, but when she went to feed them in the morning, the shed was empty.
“Both my cows were pregnant. Each used to give around 10 litres of milk per day,” she said. It has been 12 days since the cows disappeared.
Another villager from Khasakha, Phuntsho, lost a bull a month ago. It was found at the suspect’s place and was returned. Recently, the same bull went missing.
Phuntsho said the suspect had slaughtered his bull.
“When I went to the police station, the police showed me a photo of a slaughtered cattle head. It was my bull, which I recognised from the horns,” Phuntsho said.
The Bhutan Food and Drug Authority has also imposed a penalty of Nu 209,940 on the suspects for illegal slaughter and sale of meat. The authority has disposed of all the meat.
The police are investigating the case.