Bengal Police forms SIT to probe carcass meat trade

The West Bengal Police has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the sale of carcass meat collected from dump yards in the state, a senior officer said on Monday.

"A district-level SIT comprising state police officers has been formed to look into the case of carcass meat selling racket. Regular raids are going on in Kolkata and suburbs," Diamond Harbour Superintendent of Police Koteshwar Rao told IANS.

"We have arrested 10 persons so far. It seems all the top leaders of the racket have been arrested," he said.

The officer, however, rubbished the reports of influential people from the state being involved in the racket.

Police had seized nearly 20 tonnes of dead animal meat last week from a cold storage in north Kolkata meant to be supplied to departmental stores and hotels, and arrested those involved in the business.

The police was trying to prepare a detailed list of departmental stores and eateries where the meat was supplied while also looking into an international angle, amidst suspicion that the rotten meat was supplied to neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal, a police source had said.

The racketeers used to collect carcass meat from different dump yards in and around the city and store it in the cold storage. From here it was supplied to various city restaurants and departmental stores.

Three days back, police had arrested eight persons for their alleged involvement in rotten chickens trade.

--IANS

mgr/nir/bg