Maharashtra beef ban: Mumbai police arrest four persons for 'smuggling' illegal meat

Mumbai: Four persons were arrested in Mumbai on Sunday for allegedly smuggling 2,400 kg of beef into the city, police said. Earlier this year, Maharashtra government has banned cow slaughter and sale of beef in the state. [caption id=“attachment_2187095” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Acting on a tip off, police on Sunday laid a trap and intercepted a beef-laden truck in suburban Vikhroli in the wee hours, an official attached to the Vikhroli police station said. “On checking, we found beef inside the truck and arrested four persons from the spot,” he added. The accused have been identified as Akhtar Sheikh (24), Sajid Kureshi (33), Yunus Kureshi (36) and Jaffar Khan (30). The collected samples have been sent for testing at a veterinary hospital in Parel in central Mumbai, police said. A case under relevant sections of the  IPC, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Act and Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act has been registered in this connection, they added. Meanwhile, all the accused were produced in the holiday court and were released on bail. In Maharashtra, anyone found guilty possessing/selling beef may have to pay a hefty fine of Rs 10,000 or can be sentenced to prison for 5 years. PTI