Police seize 189 tonnes of cow meat illegally being exported through Vizag port
Police are currently on the lookout for six more accused involved in the case
By - Newsmeter Network
Visakhapatnam: Police have seized 189 tonnes of cow meat that was illegally being exported through the Visakhapatnam port.
Three persons, including the prime accused, have been arrested so far. Police are not ruling out more arrests.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police -1 (Law and Order) V.N. Manikanta Chandolu, the gang involved in the racket misled the authorities concerned by claiming that they were exporting buffalo meat.
The gang members, in fact, were slaughtering a large number of cows across the country and exporting the meat under the guise of buffalo meat internationally.
In the wake of inspections being carried out by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at major ports across the country, State Vigilance and Food Safety officials conducted a raid at Sri Mitra Cold Storage in the Anandapuram limits following complaints from the Animal Husbandry Department. Suspecting irregularities in the meat stored there for export to foreign countries, officials collected samples and sent them to a laboratory in Hyderabad. Test results confirmed that the consignment contained beef, bull meat, and buffalo meat. Based on this, the police registered a case.
The prime accused, Farhan, was arrested. Subsequent investigation revealed that the operation was part of a large illegal export racket. Further arrests were made, with key suppliers Mansoor Ali being apprehended in Lonavala, Maharashtra, and Rashid Qureshi in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
During interrogation, the accused confessed to illegally exporting beef through Visakhapatnam Port using forged invoices, e-way bills, and health certificates.
Police are currently on the lookout for six more accused involved in the case. After obtaining court permission, 189 tonnes of seized meat were buried in the presence of officials from the GVMC, Pollution Control Board, Animal Husbandry Department, and the Revenue Department.
Police have formed special teams for an in-depth investigation into the case. “We have arrested the main perpetrators involved in the illegal slaughter of cows and the export of meat to foreign countries. We have launched a manhunt to apprehend their accomplices. We have also obtained court orders to destroy the seized meat," said the DCP.
