Bengaluru: Cow vigilante arrested under Goonda Act

A 32-year-old cow vigilante has been booked under the stringent Karnataka Goonda Act for allegedly extorting money from cow slaughterers and cattle transporters, and subsequently arrested by the Central Crime Branch, police said.

Puneeth Kerehalli, a resident of Bengaluru and native of Hassan district, was booked and arrested late on Friday night.

According to police, there are 10 cases registered against him in various police stations in the state.

In its order to book him under the Goonda Act, police said: “This person has repeatedly been involved in criminal activities with the objective of extortion in the name of ‘Rashtra Rakshana Pade’ (Nation Protection Force). He used to target cow slaughters/transporters threatening business people, thereby committing breach of peace and communal harmony, thus adversely affecting peace and public order,” police said.