The case highlight the growing complexity of such cases, where financial motives often override religious or cultural considerations.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Authorities in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh have recently apprehended five individuals, including four members of the Hindu community, for being involved in the illegal export of cow meat as buffalo meat.
On Nov 9, police seized a truck carrying 153 tonne of beef worth Rs 4 crore from West Bengal near Luharli toll plaza. The driver of the truck and his helper told the Police that the meat was headed for SPJ cold storage in Dadri.
According to media reports, the seizure amounts to 153 tons of meat valued at approximately ₹4 crore. The arrest and confiscation underscore a significant violation of Uttar Pradesh’s stringent laws on cow slaughter and export.
The accused have been identified as truck driver Shiv Shankar, 35; manager Akshay Saxena, 34; director Khushruddin Nabi, 59; helper Sachin Kumar, 24; and cold storage owner Puran Joshi, 51, who operates a facility in Dadri.
Law enforcement agencies conducted a raid following intelligence inputs about illicit activities at a cold storage facility in Greater Noida. During the operation, investigators uncovered large quantities of processed cow meat packaged for export. The meat, allegedly destined for overseas markets, was traced to a well-organised network with international ties.
Amit Pratap Singh, assistant commissioner of police in Greater Noida said, “The meat was stored at a cold storage facility under the false brand of buffalo meat, and we are gathering details on how much meat was transported over the past few months,” a recent report in Hindustan Times informs.
The district head of Ghaziabad’s Gau Raksha Samiti Sumit Sharma had reportedly alerted police saying:“We had information that cow meat was being transported and stored at a cold storage facility in Greater Noida. We notified the police on November 9 and arrived at the Luharli toll plaza. The driver claimed he was coming from West Bengal and was expected to deliver the meat to a cold storage facility in Dadri, Greater Noida.”
Ashok Kumar, additional deputy commissioner of police in Greater Noida, mentioned that police took help of a veterinary doctor to collect meat samples, which were sent for forensic testing in Mathura. “The laboratory reports confirmed that the meat came from a cow,” he stated, as quoted by Hindustan Times.
Charges have been filed under Sections 325 (mischief by killing or maiming an animal), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 318(4) (cheating), and 328(4) (punishment for intentionally grounding a vessel with intent to commit theft) of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita and the Cow Slaughtering Act at the Dadri police station.
The incident highlight the growing complexity of such cases, where financial motives often override religious or cultural considerations.
_______
Photo – the accused men under arrest. — Taken from Internet
