Two men were arrested for allegedly carrying beef for sale in the city on Sunday morning.
A team of gau-rakshaks (cow protectors) nabbed three men near Ardee City. However, one of them managed to escape. Around 35-kg meat was recovered from their possession, which lab tests revealed as cow meat, police said.
According to the police, the two accused have been identified as Shabibur Rehman and Mushabbar Rehman, both residents of West Bengal.
Three gau-rakshaks – Pradeep Yadav, Manish Yadav and Sachin Yadav – received information that beef was being sold in slums around Paras Hospital near Ardee City and they started to keep a tab on activities of visitors to the area. It was around 7 am when the trio noticed an autorickshaw parked in the area with three men standing near it. They were carrying two huge plastic bags (probably containing meat).
“When the gau-rakshaks questioned the three men about the contents of the bag, they refused to co-operate and even threatened the gau-rakshaks,” said Kuldeep Janghu, a social activist. The gau-rakshaks called up other volunteers and also alerted residents, after which a crowd gathered. The crowd opened the bag and found meat inside it. The meat was packed in 2-kg packets each. The crowd caught hold of the three men, however, one of them managed to flee. The residents roughed up the duo and handed them over to the police.
The accused were admitted to Civil Hospital, following minor injuries. They were discharged in the afternoon, police said.