The UP police have arrested four individuals in connection with cow slaughter and meat smuggling. As per reports, the individuals and their associates were wanted after the severed heads of four cows were found discarded near a canal in Mawai area in the district.
On 24 December, the severed heads of many slaughtered cows were discovered near a village canal. After the recent incidents of violence in Bulandshahr, the UP police have been instructed to take strict action on cases of cow slaughter and several arrests have been made in recent days.
After investigations, the police have arrested four individuals for illegally slaughtering stolen cows in the Mawai area. Two country-made guns, two knives, two motorcycles, a pickup vehicle and sharp weapons used for meat cutting were found in possession of the criminals. Two more associates of the four arrested persons are reportedly on the run.
Two of the accused, named Noushad and Isa are on the run.
The accused have been identified as Abdul Mannan, Shakeel, Parvez, and Waseem. The police have stated that the gang used to pick up stray or stolen cows from nearby villages and slaughter them at secluded places to supply meat for Muslim weddings.
Reports have stated that all the four arrested accused are repeat offenders and already have cases against them under the Gangster Act and Arms Act. The main accused Mannan is a wanted criminal in the area and has 16 criminal cases against him.
All the accused also have cases under Animal cruelty and cow slaughter registered against them.
Local news reports have stated that the Mawai area has become a hub of cattle smuggling and cow slaughter in recent years. The police are also suspecting the involvement of several policemen in the operation of gangs involved in the crime.
Recently in Ghaziabad, the police had arrested three individuals named Irfan, Kaab and Asif for cow slaughter after carcasses were found in a village and have informed that as they were found to be repeat offenders, the Gangster Act will be applied against them. In 2017, after Yogi Adityanath’s government came to power, UP government had ordered the application of Gangster Act against repeat offenders in cow smuggling and slaughter cases.