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  MNS leader, 4 others arrested for selling beef

MNS leader, 4 others arrested for selling beef

AGE CORRESPONDENT
Published : Aug 29, 2016, 6:03 am IST
Updated : Aug 29, 2016, 6:03 am IST

The Ambernath police on Sunday morning arrested Yusuf Shaikh, a local Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader, and four of his associates after cops found beef in a shop that Shaikh used to operate.

The Ambernath police on Sunday morning arrested Yusuf Shaikh, a local Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader, and four of his associates after cops found beef in a shop that Shaikh used to operate. The police also recovered a cow and its calf from them. A few activists had complained to the police a few years ago, saying that the accused were in the business of selling beef, and officers have been on their tail ever since.

The four people arrested apart from Shaikh have been identified as Riyaz Shaikh, Saqil Qureshi, Aazad Qureshi and Sajjad Qureshi.

Sources said that a year ago, the Ambernath police received information about beef being sold illegally at a shop in Ambernath’s Ulanchar area. But officers didn’t find any evidence against the said people at the time. P. Wagh, senior police inspector, Ambernath police station, said: “We have been keeping an eye on the accused for the past one year. On Saturday, we received information about beef being sold in Yusuf Shaikh’s shop. He is an MNS party leader in the area. Acting on the information, we raided the shop, consisting of a temporary iron shed, around 6 am and arrested four people who are working for Shaikh. Later, we arrested Shaikh from a different place.”

A police officer added, “When we raided the shop, we found pieces of beef and rescued a cow and a six-month-old calf from there.

The rescued cow has been sent to a cow shelter while the seized beef sample has been sent to a veterinarian for verification on whether it is indeed cow meat.

The accused were selling beef in the Ulhasnagar and Ambernath markets.”

Cops added that they have found that for the past one and a half years, the number of cases of buffalos and cows being stolen has increased.

According to officers, there are five cases of cow theft registered in the Badlapur and Ambernath police station areas. The thieves would steal cows and buffalos at night and transport the animals in a car.

One such accused was arrested in Badlapur in December while carrying a cow in his car.

Mr Wagh said, “We are investigating whether the accused arrested on Sunday are involved in stealing these cows and buffalos.”

He added: “We are investigating where else they could have got these animals from. We have arrested them under the Maharashtra Animal Prevention (Amendment) Act and Sections 429 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.”