Seven held for robbing truck carrying goats in Palghar

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Palghar: Seven persons have been arrested for allegedly robbing a truck carrying 272 goats at a highway in the district, police said on Wednesday.

On January 20, the goats were being transported from Madosa in Rajasthan to Deonar in suburban Mumbai in the truck. When the vehicle reached near Charoti check post at Kasa on the Bombay-Ahmedabad highway, a group of nearly 10 persons waylaid the truck, they said.

Once the driver and cleaner got down, some of the miscreants fled with the vehicle. The other members of the gang took the truck driver and cleaner in a jeep and abandoned them at Palghar, a police official said.

Later, an offence was registered under IPC sections 395 (dacoity), 353 and 365 (kidnapping) with Kasa police. Meanwhile, the miscreants unloaded the goats at a farm in Vajreshwari and escaped even as police tried to chase them. However, during a search police later found 168 goats held captive at a farm under Dalekar pada in the district.

Subsequently, based on a tip-off, seven of the accused were arrested from Mahapoli in Thane district on Monday, police said adding that further probe into the case was on.