Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Police have invoked the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against a suspected cattle smuggler currently in judicial custody, officials said Wednesday.
The accused, Sakil Khan of Tigiria police station area in Cuttack district, was arrested in February, they said.
At least 10 cases are pending against him, including charges of illegal cattle transportation and assault on public servants, they added.
Cuttack (Rural) SP Vinit Agrawal said the proposal to detain Khan under the NSA was moved to curb his continued involvement in anti-social and criminal activities.
Considering his repeated offences and threat to public order, we sought action under the NSA, which has now been approved by the state government, he said.
Police described Khan as a habitual offender involved in multiple cases of assault, intimidation, rioting, and organised crimes, particularly illegal cattle transportation.
His activities had severely disturbed public peace in the area, and conventional legal measures had failed to deter him, they said.
Following this, a proposal was submitted to the Cuttack district administration for preventive detention under the NSA, which received government approval Tuesday, they said.