Female police officer mowed down by cattle smugglers in Jharkhand

Family members of Sandhya Topno break down near her mortal remains, in Ranchi, on Wednesday. Pic/PTI

Sub Inspector Sandhya Topno was mowed down by a van while she was engaged in a vehicle-checking drive near Jharkhand's capital Ranchi on Thursday, an officer said.

Topno, 32, was at Tupudana, on the outskirts of Ranchi, when the incident happened. Khunti and Gumla districts' police were reportedly chasing vehicles smuggling cattle. The Ranchi police also had information that some vehicles carrying cattle were about to pass through Tupudana. A police team was deployed on the highway.

Around 3 am, Topno signalled a pick-up van with cattle to stop, but the speeding vehicle knocked her down and fled.

Later, the police seized the vehicle van and arrested the driver, but the cattle smugglers in the vehicle managed to escape. Based on CCTV footage, the police are trying to trace the smugglers.

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