Trio Held For Opening Fire At Cow Vigilante

Rachakonda commissioner G. Sudheer Babu, briefing the media on the arrests, said the firearm used in the offence was reportedly procured from Chandigarh through a fellow driver. The arrests were done within 12 hours of the incident.

Preliminary investigation suggested that the motive behind the attack was extortion, as Sonu Singh had reportedly demanded Rs 5 lakh from the trio for allowing cattle transportation. Singh had allegedly accessed the accused’s FASTag details and was tracking their live location. Police said that a probe is underway to uncover all aspects of the conspiracy.

The incident occurred when Ibrahim sought a meeting with Sonu Singh, claiming that the latter’s repeated interventions had caused him losses amounting to Rs 1 crore over time. During the meeting, which took place near a hotel in Yamnampet, the two sides reportedly discussed the matter for nearly an hour before an argument broke out and Ibrahim allegedly opened fire at Sonu Singh.

According to police, Ibrahim fired two bullets — one into the air and another that struck the victim, narrowly missing his liver. Doctors performed surgery to remove the bullet from Singh’s body. Police recovered two bullet casings from the spot and retrieved one projectile from the victim’s body.

Investigators also found that the victim had been tracking Ibrahim’s movements using breached FASTag details. “Sonu had access to Ibrahim’s live location and had been threatening to alert the police about his illegal cattle transportation,” an officer said.

The accused told police that Sonu had repeatedly warned him on specific dates that he would inform authorities, though no official complaints were registered at those times, suggesting possible attempts at private settlement. However, there are at least five instances in which Sonu Singh had earlier intercepted cattle transporters, leading to cases being registered at Mulugu, Shamshabad, Ghatkesar, and Gajwel police stations.

A veterinary official explained that legal transportation requires proper documentation from both the buyer and receiver. “While many transporters cite the purpose as cattle for farming, some consignments are illegally diverted to slaughterhouses,” the official added. The commissioner further stated that 5,110 cattle have been rescued so far this year.

The Central Intelligence Wing has also prepared a report on the case to be submitted at the national level, according to a district-range officer.

The investigation was fast-paced, involving coordinated efforts from multiple units — including Malkajgiri zone, Kushaiguda, Uppal, and Keesara police stations, along with the special operations team, Crimes, and Clues teams. The commissioner said that the case was being investigated using corroborative, technical, and scientific evidence, all of which will be presented before the court.

Police seized a country-made pistol, a car, three mobile phones, two 5mm cartridges, two cigarette butts, a pellet, and bloodstained clothes as part of the investigation.

Sudheer Babu said 288 cases related to illegal cattle transportation had been registered this year across the Rachakonda commissionerate limits.