Meerut, July 24 -- Pilibhit Police claimed to have cracked the alleged cow slaughter case in Pansauli village within 24 hours, and arrested three accused after a late-night police encounter on Wednesday in which one of the suspects was shot in the leg. Investigators alleged the slaughter of a bovine calf was carried out to arrange meat for a feast attended by around 300 people before a local resident, Bundan Khan, was to leave for Umrah. According to police, the remains of a slaughtered bovine calf were found dumped in a sugarcane field in Pansauli village under the jurisdiction of Jehanabad police station. Following the discovery, a case was registered under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act. Superintendent of police Sukirti Madhav formed four teams comprising the Special Operations Group (SOG), surveillance personnel and local police to investigate the case. Based on evidence and a tip-off from an informer, Jehanabad police surrounded the wanted suspects on Wednesday night. Police said the accused attempted to flee after realising they had been cornered, resulting in an encounter during which Kasim Ali sustained a bullet injury to his right leg. He was taken into police custody and admitted to CHC in Jehanabad for treatment. The police arrested Kasim Ali, Mohammad Rashid, both residents of Pansauli village; and Islam, a resident of Kachchi Haveli locality in Jehanabad. Police allege that Bundan Khan, along with his son Rashid, Kasim and other associates, conspired to slaughter a bovine calf for the gathering. Police said several other accused involved in the alleged conspiracy remain absconding, and raids are being conducted to apprehend them. Authorities have also initiated the process of identifying and attaching the properties of those arrested as part of the ongoing investigation. During the operation, police recovered an illegal country-made pistol, a spent cartridge and equipment allegedly used in the slaughter. Separate cases have also been registered under relevant provisions of the BNS and the Arms Act. According to police records, Kasim Ali has several previous criminal cases registered against him under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the Gangsters Act and the Arms Act. Rashid and Islam have also been booked in connection with present case. htc...