Uppinangady: Local police on Thursday night arrested two people in connection with illegal cattle trafficking while also arresting four people for attacking them.

Police arrested Honappa Gowda (55) of Balalu village and Usman (60) for illegal cattle trafficking and registered a case on them. The police also arrested right-wing activists Santosh Poojary (30), Dhanraj (21), Latish (20) and Sharat (19) for attacking Gowda and Usman while they were illegally trafficking cattle.

According to the reports the arrested accused of Hindutva group stopped Gowda and Usman’s vehicle and allegedly assaulted them for illegally transporting cattle. Uppinangady Police rushed to the spot immediately after receiving information about the incident and arrested Gowda and Usman while also arresting four for attacking them.

Hundereds of Hindutva activists gathered outside Uppinangady Police Station at midnight and protested against the four attackers. Protesters along with MLA Harish Punja, Advocate Subramanya demanded to withdraw cases against the activisits.

The four accused arrested for attacking Gowda and Usman were later released on bail by the police.

“Gowda and Usman would’ve also been released on bail if they would provide the documents to show that the cattle they were trafficking were legal. But they’ve failed to do that so far. That’s why they are under our custody” Uppinangady Police Inspector Nandkumar told media reporters on Friday.

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Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.

The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.

At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.

According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.

An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.

“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.

The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.

Police have since launched a search for the suspects.

South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.

The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.

According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.