VARANASI, Jan. 23 -- Sonbhadra police arrested two alleged cattle smugglers following an encounter near the Khakhe Mor canal bridge intersection in Kewali village under the Ghorawal police station area during the early hours of Thursday. The accused were identified as Siddhanath Kharwar (29) and Omprakash Yadav (30), both residents of Bihar, police said. Circle officer Ghorawal Rahul Pandey said that acting on a tip-off that cattle being transported from the Madhya Pradesh border to Bihar in a pickup truck without a number plate, the police team cordoned off the area near Khakhe Mor. Finding themselves surrounded, the smugglers allegedly tried to ram the vehicle into the police team, injuring a head constable, and later opened fire at the police, he said. In self-defence, the police retaliated, injuring both smugglers. They were sent to the Ghorawal hospital for treatment, police said. Police recovered nine cattle from the pickup truck, one of which was found dead. They also seized two illegal pistols, two live cartridges, and two empty cartridges. During questioning, the accused confessed to being involved in cattle smuggling for a long time as part of an organised gang, police said. The accused allegedly transported cattle from the Madhya Pradesh border through Naugarh to Bihar, from where the animals were sent onward to West Bengal. Based on the recoveries and arrests, police have registered a case under relevant legal sections and are taking further action....