Cow
YouTube grab

Police are on the hunt for alleged cow thieves in India after a CCTV video footage showed two men stealing a calf after stuffing it into the back seat of their hatchback car. The incident happened in the western state of Gujarat, as reported by Daily Mail.

The video footage showed the two men stalking the calf with another adult cow in a quiet street and eventually grabbing it and twisting its neck before shoving it in the back seat of the car. The men then were seen quickly driving away.

The video which is available on YouTube gave a local vigilante group a tip off who then alerted the police.

According to the news portal, police was successful in tracking down the white car and have taken one man into custody. However, the cow is still missing.

Slaughtering cows and consuming beef have been a hot topic of conflict in India, where the animal is considered sacred by Hindus. After the NDA government came to power several states in the country have banned consuming cow meat. This has prompted illegal trading of cows and such notorious incidents of stealing have become common.

In Gujarat, the penalty for cow slaughter includes imprisonment up to maximum of 6 months or fine of up to Rs 1,000 or both.

Check out the video here: 

 Video credit: DeshGujaratHD