Police invoke MCOCA against three held for cow slaughter in Maharashtra's Thane

Police in Maharashtra's Thane district have invoked stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against three persons arrested for allegedly slaughtering a cow, a top official said on Saturday. The incident had occurred during the intervening night of June 30 and July 1, in which the accused had stolen the cow from a cricket ground in Badlapur before the slaughter, he said.

This is the second instance in the state in which the MCOCA has been invoked against the individuals accused of cow slaughter and related offences, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-IV Ulhasnagar) Sachin Gore said.

''The first such case (under MCOCA) was registered in Pimpri,'' he said, adding that this is the first instance in the Konkan range. Based on the complaint lodged by the owner of the cow, the police initially registered a case under section 303 (2) (theft) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with the provisions of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and the Maharashtra Police Act.

''The police later arrested three persons in this connection. They are presently in police custody, and we have now slapped charges under the MCOCA against them,'' the DCP said.

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