22 cattle being taken to Kerala seized in Coimbatore

Twenty two cattle being taken to Kerala in a container lorry allegedly without proper care were seized by police and the driver arrested near here today.

Police said a team on a routine vehicle check found the cattle -- 19 buffaloes and three ox -- inside the container early today at Malumichampatti.

Preliminary inquiry revealed that the animals were being taken to Wayanad in Kerala from Karnataka, they said.

Since there was no proper medical facilities, water and food for the cattle, police seized them and handed over to a 'goshala' (cow shelter) near Tirupur.

Lorry driver Afsar, hailing form Tumkur in Karnataka, had been arrested and a case registered against the vehicle owner Sadiq Pasha of Bengaluru, police said.

Investigations were on to ascertain the reason for the transportation of the cattle, they added.

The seizure comes weeks after the Centre banned sale of cattle in animal markets for slaughter.