174. The information of Robbery or Dacoity be sent to other neighboring police stations immediately.—

As soon as possible after the occurrence of a dacoity' or gang robbery, the officer-in-charge of the station shall send information by the speediest method to neighbouring police stations, and despatch police to watch ferries canal and railway bridges, railway station, sarais and other likely places in the direction in which the offenders are supposed to have gone. Suspected persons should be stopped and should be brought to the police station; they may be arrested, if necessary. The same steps should be taken by officers incharge of other stations to which information is sent.

The Superintendent of a district in which dacoity or gang robbery occurs should send immediate information for neighbouring districts.

Descriptive rolls of the offenders, if procurable, should be sent to neighbouring stations by the investigating officer, and to other stations and headquarters of districts by the Superintendent.

Superintendent on receiving information of a dacoity in another district should order the police of their own districts to be on the alert, and should send instructions to any station where special precautions are necessary.

It is important to spread the news as widely as possible when dacoities are being committed by a wandering gang.

For the action which may be taken in Indian States see Chapter XXIV.

175. Guidelines in a case of professional poisoning—

When a case of professional poisoning occurs, action should be taken on the lines indicated in the proceeding paragraph, but on a smaller scale. The Superintendent and the officer-in-charge of the station should exercise their discretion as to the places to which information should be sent and places which should be watched.

Great care should be taken in recording the descriptive roll of the offender, full particulars of his appearance can generally be ascertained, as a poisoner spends some time with his victim.

To secure corroborative evidence in anticipation of the poisoner's arrest, it will sometimes be useful to take the complainant to places where he says he has seen in the poisoner's company, and to confront him with any persons, such as sam-keepers, grain sellers and others who may have seen them travelling together. The complainant should not be compelled to remain with the police in the expectation of the poisoner's return.

176. Duties of S.O. after a report of disappearance of any boy under 14 years of age or girl under 16 years of age—

When the disappearance of any boy under 14 years of age or girl under 16 years of age is reported, and the circumstances point to an offence of kidnapping, the officer-in-charge of the station shall inform neighbouring stations and forward to the Superintendent a descriptive roll of the minor, together with any information which may have been collected as to the direction in which the child has probably gone and a descriptive roll of any person suspected of having taken away the child. The Superintendent will take such action as he considers best for the recovery of the minor.

Village policemen should be instructed to report the disappearance of any minor or the arrival of any unknown minor.

177.  Duties in case of direct cattle poisoning—

In case of direct cattle poisoning, the mortality among cattle should be watched and inquiries made whenever a number of sudden deaths occur especially if the price of hides is high. Village policemen should report any unusually high death-rate. When there is a high mortality of cattle not due to disease, it is important to trace the movements of contractors who have been purchasing the skins. It is sometimes noticed that a contractor visits a village, that cattle die after his departure, and that he returns shortly to purchase the skins.

Zamindars should be urged to destroy the skins of all cattle dying in suspicious circumstances.

When chemical analysis is desired, portions of the deceased animal's kidney, liver and stomach, and the contents of the stomach should be sent, steeped in salt and water, to headquarters for the orders of a Magistrate.

In cases of suspected cattle poisoning a short account of the facts should be given in the following form for the guidance of the Chemical Examiner when substances are sent for analysis :

(1)  Species of animal and name of owner.

(2)  Nature of food last taken.

(3)  How soon after this food did symptoms of illness appear?

(4)  Did the animal appear to be in pain?

(5)  Did purging occur?

(6)  Was there discharge from mouth or nostrils?

(7)  Were convulsions observed?

(8)  Did the animal appear to be unconscious? If so, how soon after the onset of the symptoms?

(9) It is suspected that the poison was administered by the mouth rectum or hypodermically ('sui' poisoning)?

(10) Was any foreign matter present in the rectum?

(11) Did death occur?

Information on the above points should be furnished to the District Magistrate before the latter officer sends the substance for chemical analysis.

178. The poison used to destroy cattle be sent for chemical examination to the F.S.L.—

The poison used to destroy cattle is often Arsenic and sometimes Acconite. A common method of administering Arsenic to an animal is to mix common white Arsenic in rough powder with flour dough and then to wrap up the poisoned dough in fresh grass or stems of the gram plant.

Sometimes a rag impregnated with snake poison is inserted in the anus of an animal. When a case of this kind is detected the rag should be sent for chemical examination. In such a case the poison may be expected to be greasy substance of diary white colour, like putty.

A common form of poisoning is by pricking the animal, generally in the back, with spike composed of dhatura opium, gunchi seeds and onion, the ingredients being worked into a paste with spirit, made into spikes and then dried and hardened in the sun. A few hours after the animal has been pricked with one of these spikes a swelling appears and slowly extends over a portion of the body. But until the animal drops and cannot move, which it does three or four days after the swelling has appeared, there are no symptoms except the swelling, abstinence from food and disinclination to sit down. The swelling should be carefully examined to discover the puncture which is so small that it is not easily seen. Cases are on record which show that poison has been administered in this fashion to human beings also.

Thefts of Bovine Cattle

179.  Reported strays of cattle shall be at once recorded as thefts and investigated—

Reported strays of cattle from within inhabited sites or cattle sheds in the districts of Saharanpur, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Agra, Farrukhabad, Moradabad, Budaun and Shahjahanpur shall be at once recorded as thefts and investigated; other reported strays should not be so recorded or investigated unless the owner, when reporting the strays, has expressed doubts and asked for an investigation or unless from the special circumstances of the case, the officer-in-charge of a police station has reasons (which must be recorded) for believing that theft has occurred.

180.  Investigations shall be made in every case of cattle theft—

Investigations shall be made in every case of cattle theft whatever be the value of cattle stolen, although the owner may not wish for an investigation.

181.   Directions to S.O.'s for thefts of cattle—

     The following directions apply to all districts:

(1)  Officer-in-charge of stations shall send early reports of the occurrence of cattle thefts, with descriptive roll of the stolen cattle, to all neighbouring stations of their own and other districts. They shall also send notices of all reported strays to the poundkeepers, if any, within the limits of their stations, and shall post notices of strays on the notice boards of their stations.

(2)  Cattle in pounds should be carefully compared with the descriptive rolls of stolen cattle. Careful inquiry should be made in the cases of cattle impounded by persons other than agriculturists of the neighbourhood, or reclaimed by persons living at a distance from the pound.

(3)  Constables should be furnished with lists of strays reported from their beats during the year and should ascertain from chaukidars and villagers whether strays have been recovered, and, if so in what circumstances. Village chaukidars should also be questioned on these points when they visit the police station.

(4)  When village chaukidars visit the station the officer-in-charge shall cause to be read out and explained to them any reports of cattle theft or strays which have been made at the station.

(5)  Every officer-in-charge of station should keep himself well informed of the names and addresses of thangdars of cattle and should endeavour to discover whether stolen cattle are habitually taken in any particular direction and whether there are in his circle any villages, most of the inhabitants of which are in sympathy with cattle thieves, or any tracts such as dhak jungles and river khadir where stolen cattle can be temporarily detained. At each police station in the districts of Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Moradabad, Agra, Farrukhabad, Budaun and Shahjahanpur the station officer will keep with his village crime note-books, a list showing the names of thangdars, and of the villages in which they live. No other particulars need be given on these lists as the village crime note­book will contain detailed information. If any village is so full of thangdars, that is not worthwhile to specify particular persons (as in some Gugar villages), it will be sufficient to put the name of the village only on the list. The list will serve as an index to the village crime note-book and will show a new station officer or an inspecting officer at a glance to what extent cattle theft is prevalent.

Superintendents of Police of other districts may extend this order to all or any of their police station at their discretion.

(6)  Rewards should be freely given not only for the actual arrest of cattle thieves, and for the recovery of the cattle, but also for good information regarding the residence, customs and routes of cattle thieves and their associates. In this matter village chaukidars should be intelligently encouraged to assist.

(7)  All offices relating to cattle, which fall under Sections 411, 412 or 414 of the Indian Penal Code should be registered in and set up for trial from the district and station within the limits of which the theft was committed. The offence will be registered there as theft.

Note— Superintendents of Police of Uttar Pradesh should not insist on the police of other States following this rule.

(8)  Station officers and circle inspectors of the Uttar Pradesh whose circles border on police circles of the Punjab should arrange to meet the station house officers and circle inspectors of the Punjab circle concerned once a month to discuss police border problems, with special reference to cattle theft and criminal tribes. At each meeting they should make a brief record of the subjects discussed and the action proposed, and forward it to the Superintendent for orders.

(9)  Superintendents of Police of the following districts in the Uttar Pradesh should keep Superintendents of Police of the following

districts in the Punjab informed regarding tribes in their districts registered under the Criminal Tribes Act. They should at the same time ask the Superintendents of Police of the Punjab districts concerned to supply them with similar information :