Cows are becoming less sacred in India due to growing beef demand.

Cows are sacred according to Hindu religious tradition. However, a New York Times report cites increasing incidents of cow theft in India.
The capital city of New Delhi is home to street gangs who profit by stealing free roaming cows from the street and selling them to illegal slaughterhouses.

There are an estimated 40 thousand cattle wandering the streets of New Delhi, so there are plenty of targets for the gangs who can sell a cow to slaughterhouses for the equivalent of around 94 dollars.

Although most Hindus are traditionally vegetarians, more and more people in India are developing a taste for meat, which is creating a growing demand that is met by the cow thieves.

Citizens can be imprisoned for injuring or killing a cow, but meat consumption is slowly becoming more acceptable in India.

Government officials have actually organized groups of cow wranglers to catch the city dwelling cows and send them to cow preserves or shelters that are sponsored by wealthy citizens.