MEBO : In a successful joint operation, the Mebo Police and Pasighat Police, with active support from the Mithun Owners Association, arrested three persons allegedly involved in the theft and illegal transportation of a mithun (Bos frontalis, a semi-domesticated bovine species native to the Eastern Himalayan region) and recovered the stolen animal, the official sources on Saturday said.

The operation was carried out on Friday after police received specific information that a mithun stolen from the Partung area of Mebo sub-division in East Siang district was being transported towards the Itanagar Capital Region.

Acting swiftly, the police intercepted the vehicle carrying the stolen mithun at the Gumto Police Check Gate in Papum Pare district, leading to the recovery of the animal and the arrest of all three accused.

The arrested persons have been identified as Philip Lego (28) and Kanggong Tayeng (19), both from Ayeng village under Mebo Police Station, and Nandu Nath (22), a resident of Chumoni village in Assam’s Lakhimpur district, who was driving the vehicle.

A case has been registered at Pasighat Police Station under Sections 303(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

The accused have been produced before the Judicial Magistrate, Pasighat, with police seeking their remand to facilitate further investigation.

East Siang Police reaffirmed their commitment to protecting the property and livelihoods of citizens and said stringent action would continue against theft and organised criminal activities, a senior officer said. (Source: UNI)