Mathura (UP), Jan 10 (PTI) Animal hides and other remains were found in a 30-feet-deep pit in scrap warehouses located in a colony here, police said on Saturday.
The recovery triggered anger among residents who set the three warehouses, allegedly operating as slaughterhouses, on fire. Police, with the help of two fire tenders, later brought the blaze under control, officials said.
Three people, including a woman, were detained at the spot, and their interrogation is underway, they added.
Police said another man, Ilyas, was arrested after he was caught fleeing on a motorcycle with the meat.
A case has been registered against Ilyas and six others – Haji Islam, Nadeem, Shahrukh, Bilal, Karman, and Gulla under various sections of the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act and the Municipal Corporation Act at the Highway police station.
Samples of the recovered meat and animal remains have been sent to the Uttar Pradesh Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Veterinary University for testing, police said.
Superintendent of Police (City) Rajiv Kumar Singh said that the matter came to light on Friday when some children playing in the area went near the warehouses to look for their cricket ball and noticed a foul smell.
They told their families, who then informed the leaders of Hindu organisations. Angry residents then surrounded the area, and someone among them set the warehouses ablaze, the officer said.
He said locals saw Ilyas speeding out of one of the warehouses on a motorcycle and trying to escape. Upon checking the bag he was carrying, animal meat was found inside it.
Police suspect that the accused are involved in running an illegal slaughterhouse. The case was registered based on the complaint of Neeraj Sharma.
Durga Vahini member Satyawati Chaudhary alleged that animals were being illegally slaughtered in houses and warehouses in the Delhi border area under the guise of scrap dealing.
She demanded that the police take strict action against such people. PTI COR NAV OZ OZ
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