Tinsukia, July 12: Police seized 15 cows from a truck after it was intercepted by local people at Chotahapjan, under Makum police station in Tinsukia district, around 520km east of Guwahati, in the wee hours today.

The cattle-laden truck was seized on charges of cattle theft, the police said.

This is the third incident of seizure of a large number of cows being transported in a vehicle at night in less than a month in Tinsukia district. Two such cases have been reported under Makum police station.

However, the police breathed easy as there are no reports of assault or attack by cow vigilantes.

There has been a spate of attacks by cow vigilantes across the country, the latest being recorded on the outskirts of Guwahati, where a mob stopped three vehicles transporting cows and beat up the drivers while accusing them of cattle smuggling.

Talking to The Telegraph, officer-in-charge of Makum police station Bhaskar Saikia said local people intercepted a truck loaded with cows and informed Makum police. "The truck was reportedly plying from Sadiya towards Tinsukia," Saikia said.

He said by the time the police reached the spot, the driver and handyman of the vehicle had fled.

"The cow-laden vehicle was seized on the suspicion of the cattle being stolen," Saikia said and added, "This morning one Bitul Gohain walked into the police station and claimed that he had purchased the cows from Sadiya. He submitted some documents which we are investigating."

There were around 15 cows loaded on a single truck and rules under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act have also been found to be violated, he said.

Saikia said a case has been registered under Section 379 IPC along with Section 11(a)/(d) of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and an investigation is under way. "Prima facie, it has been found the cows were purchased from another place - Bordumsa Bazar - along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border and shipped to Sadiya from where it was again sold to a third party."