Cattle raiding has become rampant in Sarpang recently. Within one and a half months time, locals of Dekiling Gewog in Sarpang lost some 15 cattle. And the culprits are still at large.
The recent cattle raiding incident took place at Jigmeling under Dekiling gewog.
On the night of 16th December, Neten Dorji had four cows in his cowshed. Next morning, two Jersey cows were missing.
“I was not at home when the incident took place. When I came back at around 6 am, my son informed me about the incident,” said Neten. “I even called my friends and informed the Chhoekhorling Police. But we could not trace it,” he added.
And recently, a few others also lost their cattle. “I tied up the cows near my house along the roadside. Then I went to buy poultry feeds. But when I came back, my cows were missing,” said Pem Dorji Tamang from Jigmeling.
Another said, “my cow was grazing near my house but later it wasn’t there.”
With these incidents, patrolling has become crucial for the villagers. Locals said the fallow lands have turned into a dense forest which encourages miscreants to lift the cattle.
“Right now, we are not doing any patrolling because of the thick jungle which poses risk,” said Yeshey Wangmo.
“If we clear the bushes, it would benefit. At night, we can volunteer in carrying out strict vigilance,” she added.
But for now, even with much effort from locals and Police, the miscreants are still at large. Police are still investigating the case.
Karma Wangdi, Sarpang
