Suryapet: Mattampalli police on Wednesday found 26 oxen packed in a container out of which 16 were dead during a vehicle checkup at the state border check post at Matampalli in the district.
The police suspected that all 16 oxen would have died to suffocation during transit. Nine rescued oxen were shifted to a goshala at Nalgonda while one injured animal was sent to a veterinary hospital.
Mattampally Sub-Inspector Ramanjaneeyulu said two persons from Tamil Nadu, Nataraj and Swamy, purchased 26 oxen in the villages located near Suryapet and were illegally transporting them in a container.
A veterinary doctor performed a postmortem on the dead oxen at a place on the outskirts of the town. A case was registered against Nataraj and Swamy, and the investigation is underway, he added.
