Five cow vigilantes, including main accused Puneeth Kerehalli, who allegedly beat a man to death for transporting cows and buffaloes, were arrested on Wednesday.
The Sathanur police arrested the accused, on the run, in Rajasthan.
According to sources, the accused were absconding for the past five days. Gathering specific inputs, the police nabbed them.
Headed by Puneeth Kerehalli, the group had waylaid a canter transporting cows and buffaloes in the limits of Sathanur police station in Ramnagar district on March 31. They had claimed that the cows and buffaloes were transported illegally.
Muslim man beaten to death
However, on April 1, 35-year-old Idris Pasha, a resident of Guttalu near Sathanur, who was in the canter was found dead at the spot. Pasha's family alleged that he was beaten to death by Kerehalli and others.
The family had lodged a complaint in this regard under IPC Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 504 (intentional insult, giving provocation), 506 (criminal intimidation), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons), 302 (murder), 34 (criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
After the complaint was lodged, the accused went absconding. Ramnagar SP Karthik Reddy then had formed four teams to nab them.
Further investigation is on.
(With inputs from IANS)