Horseshoe peddlers nabbed in Gujarat

In a rare case, two men were arrested under section 311 of the Indian Penal Code that deals with prevention of cruelty to animals.

The men were selling horse shoes - at the rate of three to five pieces a day - that they were yanking off from the hoofs of the animals.

Sadam Ali Saiyed of Bhogilal Farm, Juhapura was booked and taken into custody by the Ellisbridge police station police and Masook Ali Saiyed, who used to peddle his wares at Shyamal Crossroads, was nabbed by the Satellite PS cops.

It was the alertness of an employee of the Government Veterinary Hospital that busted this racket that was being conducted in broad daylight in busy areas of the city.

Both the perpetrators of the crime belong to Uttar Pradesh, it is learned.
The complainant in the case, one Narayan Desai, works in the Veterinary Hospital. Over a couple of days he observed the 'business' of the two men and on Thursday, he confronted them himself.

Desai managed to get hold of the two horses and took them to a vet who told him: "Fixing and removing horse shoes several times a day can be very painful for the animal. It can also cause permanent damage to the poor creature. Also, it is against the law."

The two men were doing a fairly good business for a horse shoe is considered a good luck charm by many people - be it for religious, business or personal reasons.

A source connected with this work said that the shoe must be a used one yanked off a horse, and not a  'readymade' piece bought from a shop.

The men were selling them @ Rs250-Rs500 each. The horses belonged to them and they apparently thought it was a good idea to make use of the creatures in this way. Police are yet to ascertain for how long the two were carrying on this 'trade' but are confident of getting the whole story after completing the interrogation.