Chencho Dema

Punakha—Ap Pasang, 68, a resident of Yoesskha village in Kabjisa in Punakha tragically lost his only three high breed jersey cows to alleged electrocution on June 26, leaving him devastated and robbed of his livelihood.

For him, these cows were more than just livestock—they were like his own children and his sole means of earning a living.

The victim, according to his neighbours, depended solely on his three Jersey cows as his only source of income, as he does not own land and lives in his niece’s house in Yoesskha.

Ap Pasang relied on his cows for milk production, selling the milk, butter, and cheese to high-end hotels. With each cow yielding 13 liters of milk per day, their loss has dealt a significant blow to his livelihood.

The Tshogpa, who was informed by the victim himself, conveyed the news of the incident to the Kabjisa Gewog Office.

At the time of the incident, the 48-year-old suspect was in Changyuel and was informed about the situation but did not report to the gewog office. He denied installing live wires around his orchard.

Kabjisa Gup Sonam Dorji expressed deep regrets over the incident, calling it unfortunate, and emphasised that installing live wires was strictly prohibited. He announced plans to notify all 11 gewogs to monitor and educate residents about the dangers of live wire installations.

This incident marks the first reported case in Kabjisa.

The self-employed suspect was summoned to the Punakha police station and his statement was recorded.

He confessed to installing dangerous electric lines around his orchard and an arrest warrant has been requested from the court.

The police also questioned family members of the suspect; no one knew about the installation of the dangerous shocker.