25-tonne meat recovered from container, 1 held

Pune: A container driver was arrested on Tuesday afternoon at Shewalwadi octroi post in Hadapsar and 25 tonnes of meat, suspected to be cow beef, were seized.

The container started from a cold storage in Vijapur in Karnataka on Monday with 1,400 boxes of meat. It was on its way to Sanpada in Navi Mumbai via Pune for delivering the consignment to a trader for export.

The cow protection group members intercepted the vehicle at the octroi post on Tuesday around 2.30pm on the suspicion that the driver, Santosh Burunge (22), from Sangola in Solapur district was transporting cow meat.

An official of the Hadapsar police said, "We took Burunge into custody after he failed to produce documents authorizing him to transport beef, and certificates of veterinary doctor and health officer stating that the meat was fit for transportation and consumption."

He said, "An FIR was registered after an official from the animal and husbandry department confirmed the seized meat was beef. Samples were later sent for a forensic lab test to ascertain if it was cow, bullock or buffalo meat. The law prohibits possession or transportation of cow and bullock meat but there is no such restriction on buffalo meat."

Sub-inspector Manik Dokhe said, "Burunge was arrested for possessing beef — an offence under the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2015. He was produced before the Pune cantonment court and remanded in magisterial custody. Later, he was released on bail."

Dohe said, "The seized meat worth Rs25 lakh would be destroyed after seeking permission from the court."