Ahmedabad: Four persons were booked on Thursday for allegedly transporting three cows and a calf for illegal slaughter after their vehicle crashed into a bus stop gate while speeding.

According to the FIR, police received a call at around 2.36 am reporting that a silver Renault Lodgy SUV had rammed into the gate and that three cows and a calf were found tied in the rear of the vehicle. One occupant, identified as Maqbool Sattar Mansuri (38), was apprehended by bystanders and handed over to the police, following which he was arrested. Two others fled the scene.

The FIR stated that the animals were tightly bound and crammed into the vehicle in a manner suggesting cruelty and neglect. Mansuri failed to produce any permit for cattle transportation.

Mansuri, along with absconding accused Imran alias Mani Sipaim, Ejaz alias Gattu Kasai and Naseer alias Dagro, was booked under the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The rescued cows were sent to the Virat Panjrapol animal shelter in Ambawadi.

Under the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, cow slaughter attracts a maximum punishment of life imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹5 lakh, while illegal transportation of cattle carries a minimum sentence of seven years in prison.