No Proof Of Cow Slaughter In Abattoir Found Yet; Packaging Of Banned Meat Brought From Outside Suspected

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Bhopal Municipal Corporation officials handed over the digital video recorder (DVR) containing round-the-clock CCTV camera footage of the slaughterhouse to the police on Sunday night.

The investigators claimed that it did not show any cow being brought into or slaughtered on the premises.

However, police officials said that the entire month’s footage was still being monitored which may provide evidence. Any gaps, blind spots or suspicious activity would be examined in detail, they added.

To recall, on December 17, Bajrang Dal activists had intercepted a container on allegations of transportation of banned meat. The slaughter house was sealed by the BMC after an FSL report confirmed that the meat belonged to cow or its progeny. Police had arrested the slaughterhouse operator Aslam Qureshi two days back.

Meanwhile, sources connected to the case claimed that the modus operandi may not have involved slaughter inside the plant. Instead, pieces of banned meat may have been brought from outside and packaged before being supplied to Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh and other places, including foreign countries. Sources said that the network of banned meat and cow smuggling was linked to Jabalpur and some other places in the state with consignments transported to Bhopal through Betul route.

Police officials said all leads in the case were being verified through transportation records at the slaughterhouse, call details and other inputs. Moreover, police were also probing the allegations of cow slaughter in nearby densely populated areas with the slaughterhouse used only for processing and packaging.

Sources also claimed that Aslam’s close aides Shabbu, Shazeb Jibbi, Nizam Bhura, Faisal and others transported two truck loaded with beef to Obaidullaganj on the day Aslam was arrested.

BMC chairman Kishan Suryavanshi claimed the corporation had still not received the FSL report which confirmed that banned meat was supplied from the slaughterhouse. Once received, anyone found guilty would face action, he added.

Hindu Utsav Samiti chairman Chandrashekhar Tiwari demanded that the police should take remand of Aslam Qureshi for questioning into the banned meat supply case. Moreover, police should also probe into his properties which he had earned through illegal means.