WB CID launches probe into carcass meat racket

The West Bengal CID today launched a probe into the recent reports about a carcass meat racket in the state, a senior official said.

The sleuths will look into the incidents of seizure of carcass meat, reported from Budge Budge in South 24 Parganas district and Bangaon in North 24 Parganas district, CID DIG (Operations) Nishat Pervez told PTI.

"We have already started our probe," he said.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in the state had yesterday announced that it had formed a high-powered committee to keep a check on the carcass meat racket, which allegedly processed the flesh of dead animals found from garbage dumps and sold to eateries in and around the city and also outside the state.

A nine-member committee, headed by Chief Secretary Malay De, would devise a mechanism to deal with the issue, the government had said.

Over the last few weeks, 11 persons, including a leader of a political outfit, have been arrested in connection with the scam.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed by the government to probe the matter after the sleuths seized 20 tonnes of rotten meat, meant to be supplied to eateries and departmental stores in the state and its neighbouring region, from a cold storage in central Kolkata.

The government has directed all the police stations in the state to keep a watch on the sale of meat in their areas.