Deadly business: One arrested for selling dead animal meat

Police say butchers also distributed meat to other shops.

MULTAN:

A man was arrested on Tuesday for selling meat of dead animals in Cantonment area. Two of his accomplices fled.

Liaqat, the Cantt station house officer (SHO), said that the meat shop’s watchman, Latif, was arrested in a raid to the shop. He said Latif have provided them information about the two butchers, who fled the shop before the raid.  Police have registered a case against the shop owners and the watchmen, who facilitated the butchers. They are searching for the main culprits, who are at large, he said.

SHO Liaqat said that two dead buffaloes were found in a room at the back of the meat shop during the raid. The arrested watchmen told the police that the two butchers were about to ‘slaughter’ the buffaloes, which died two days ago.

He admitted that he, along with the two men, had bought dead cattle at low price and brought them to the shop. He said that they sold the meat to various shops in the Cantt area.

Some residents of the area said that they had been concerned at the quality of meat at these shops and asked the Cantonment Board administration to look into the matter. The Cantonment Board administration said that they had been monitoring the butchers in the area.

Omar Siddique Chaudhry, the Cantt Board executive officer, said that these butchers were a mafia and distributed dead cattle to many parts of the city. He said that Cantt Board was coordinating with the police in this regard.

On Tuesday, he said, it had tipped the police to catch the butchers red handed.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2011.