A man accused of abducting and murdering two Muslim men over cow smuggling in India has been arrested after the victims' bodies were found in a burnt-out car.
- Two bodies were found in a burnt-out car a day after they went missing
- A taxi driver linked to a cow vigilante group has been arrested
- Cow slaughter is banned in several states in majority-Hindu India
Police say the charred bodies were discovered in the car a day after the two men went missing in northern Haryana state, west of Delhi.
Both men were from neighbouring Rajasthan state, and their families named five men belonging to the Hindu hardline Bajrang Dal group in a criminal complaint to police after their disappearance.
"We have arrested one accused so far and we are searching for others," police officer Shyam Singh told AFP.
Cows are considered sacred by Hindus, and their slaughter is illegal in many Indian states.
Vigilante squads that roam highways to stop the animals from being transported across state borders have proliferated since Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014.
Rajasthan police said in a statement the arrested man was a taxi driver and was also involved with cow vigilante groups.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot condemned the killings on Twitter and said strict action would be taken against the accused.
Critics have accused the Modi government of turning a blind eye to vigilante attacks on minority Muslims in the name of cow protection.
According to the latest census data in 2011, Hindus made up 79.80 per cent of India's population while Muslims, the second-most followed religion, made up 14.23 per cent.
Rajasthan and Haryana are among the states that ban cow slaughter, and authorities also require anyone transporting the animals across state borders to have a permit.
AFP