Sambalpur, Mar 11: Police encountered two cattle smugglers during an operation near the City Railway Station in Sambalpur on Tuesday morning.

Addressing a Press conference, Northen Range IG of Police, Himanshu Lal, said police intercepted cattle-laden vehicles on their way from Sohela and Sonepur to West Bengal. Police intercepted a car. However, the occupants soon fired at the cops.

The police soon retaliated by firing at the miscreants. As a result, two of the miscreants were injured in the left and right legs, respectively. During preliminary investigations, police found data regarding illegal cattle smuggling across the border.

In a similar operation, the Morada police seized 185 buffaloes that were illegally smuggled to West Bengal. Police picked up and detained six smugglers.