Shillong, Jan 4: A total of 1,192 cattle seized along the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Jaintia Hills, have reportedly gone missing before they could be auctioned as per under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals) Rule, 2017.
This was revealed by RTI activist, Wanbiang Mowa, who has demanded an official inquiry into the missing cattle affair.
Mowa, a resident of Mihmyntdu Moowamon village and Happydong Jungai of Ratacherra village, East Jaintia Hills had put up a number of questions seeking answers to the question as to what the authorities do with the cattle they seize. The replies he received instead ended up revealing a likely scam as most of the cattle were nowhere to be seen on the ground when they visited the animal shelter.
According to the replies to the RTI queries from the District Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Officer, the number of smuggled cattle seized in 2023 was 334, 395 in 2024 and 463 in 2025.
As per a directive from the High Court, cattle seized by the Border Security Force or the Customs are housed at the temporary animal shelter of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) at Mushai in Raliang, Mowkaiaw and Thadmuthlong.
According to Mowa, they had inspected the temporary animal shelter on October 4, 2025 to discover that only seven cattle were kept and learnt that the rest of the seized cattle were sold by unknown persons.
Pointing out that the rules specifying the auction process are designed to ensure that animals are treated humanely and that their sale is transparent, Mowa said the disappearance of the seized cattle highlights widespread corruption within the system designed to prevent smuggling. It also points to a multi-crore illicit trade network.
After the RTI, authorities have not replied to any further follow-up queries raised, Mowa said he had written to seek clarification on the health conditions of the seized cattle with copies of post mortem if they had died and video recordings as evidence of the same.
He said they had also demanded for an independent probe and wrote a letter to the First Appellate Authority Cum Director of the Directorate of Animal Husbandry& Veterinary on December 19, but received no reply till date.
