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Bengal

Meat from carcasses seized in Budge Budge, tests underway

Kolkata: In a major development in the investigation of meat retrieved from carcasses of animals in Budge Budge, South 24-Parganas, the Diamond Harbour police district, in association with Kolkata Police, conducted a raid at two preservation units of such meat at Rajabazar in Kolkata and arrested as many as six persons associated with supply and sale of the meat of dead animals.
The sleuths had arrested two persons a few days ago, on charges of carrying meat retrieved from carcasses of animals, left to decompose in a dumping ground in Budge Budge.
"We interrogated one Sunny Mallick – the kingpin of the racket, who was arrested a few days ago by our team in Bihar and pursuing his statement, a raid was conducted at two cold storage-cum-processing units at Rajabazar, under Narkeldanga police station area on Wednesday night. We have recovered 1,000 packets of processed meat, weighing around 20 tonnes. The two units from which the packets were recovered, have been sealed," said Koteshwara Rao, superintendent of Diamond Harbour police district.
Sleuths informed that after processing the meat in the cold storage facility, it used to be packaged and then supplied to different places. The fat in the meat was removed first and then it was processed, so that the stuff could be preserved for longer durations.
Pursuing the statement of Sunny, the district police formed three teams and arrested six persons from Tangra and Alipore in Kolkata, Bhatpara, Kalyani, Jagaddal in North 24-Parganas and Sonarpur in South 24-Parganas.
"We will conduct forensic test of the seized meat to ascertain which animal (or animals) it belongs to," Rao said.
Elaborating on the modus operandi of the racket, a senior police officer informed that they had engaged informers at the dumping grounds, who would inform them as soon as a dead animal was dumped there. The animal was then collected from that place and transported to Rajabazar for storage and processing.
Meanwhile, the samples of cooked meat picked up by officials of the Health department of Kolkata Municipal Corporation during their raid in the last few days, will be sent to the state Forensic Science Laboratory for examination.
"We have our own laboratory but it does not have the infrastructure to ascertain the nature of the meat, whether it is of cow, goat, or any other animal. We are sending it to the state Forensic Science Laboratory," Member, Mayor-in-Council (Health) Atin Ghosh said.
A KMC Health department official said that they had consulted some private laboratories for forensic test, but they had said that the examination process will take a long time. "We want to have the reports as early as possible," the official said.

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