Vizag police arrest key accused in ‘cow meat export’ racket

The Visakhapatnam city police on Monday announced the arrest of some key accused in a case of illegal export of beef through the Visakhapatnam port.

They said 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, the police claimed.

The interrogation of the arrested revealed a huge global racket and the names of some others involved in the operations, the police said, adding special teams have been formed for a deeper investigation of the case.

Following a complaint lodged by the Andhra Pradesh State Veterinary Department officials at the Anandapuram police station, the city police started investigation and arrested Md. Farhan, owner of MR MISH Overseas Private Limited (meat exporter), and Mansoor Ali (beef supplier), in Lonavala (Maharashtra). They also brought Rashid Qureshi (beef supplier), who was apprehended in Meerut (Uttar Pradesh), to Visakhapatnam.

The Anandapuram police registered a case under various sections of the Andhra Pradesh Prohibition Of Cow Slaughter and Animal Preservation Act-1977, and BNS Sections 318(4), 336(2), 338, 336(3), 340(2), and 61(2).

Disclosing the details of the case at a press conference here on Monday, Deputy Commissioner of Police-1 (Law and Order) V.N. Manikanta Chandolu said, “We have arrested the main perpetrators involved in the illegal slaughter of cows and the export of meat to foreign countries under the guise of buffalo meat. We have launched a manhunt to apprehend their accomplices. We have also obtained court orders to destroy the seized meat.”

Inspections

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence recently conducted inspections at various ports, including Kolkata, Gujarat, and Visakhapatnam, and seized the beef. At the same time, several complaints were also received by an officer of the Assistant Director level in the AP State Animal Husbandry Department, along with the State Vigilance and Food Safety departments. They visited Sri Mitra Cold Storage in the Anandapuram police station limits and inspected the meat stored there.

Although a company called MR MISH Overseas Private Limited claimed that all the meat stored there was buffalo meat intended for export through their company, on suspicion six samples were sent to a lab in Hyderabad.

Test reports

“Of them, three samples (87,945 kg) were identified as cow meat, two samples (37,656 kg) as bull meat, and one sample (18,720 kg) as buffalo meat. Of the remaining (45,416 kg) meat too, eight samples were taken and sent to the laboratory for testing,” the DCP said.

“As part of the investigation, 1,89,737 kg of illegally stored meat has been seized. The gang was misrepresenting cow meat as buffalo meat to obtain the right to sell it, and they illegally fabricated fake invoices, e-way bills, and health certificates to export it to other countries through the Visakhapatnam port. A petition was filed in the court to destroy the seized illegal meat and the court issued favourable orders to us. In accordance with all legal procedures, the seized meat will be destroyed under the supervision of GVMC, Pollution Control Board, Animal Husbandry, Revenue, and Police,” Mr. Manikanta Chandolu said.