Carcass meat scam: Now, Maniktala cold storage on police radar

KOLKATA: Digging into the carcass muddle, special investigation team of Diamond Harbour Police has come across another cold storage at Maniktala owned by the Rajabazar cold storage owner, one of the accused who is now absconding. The storage space, cops suspect, used to function as an additional space when the Rajabazar storage was full.
According to a source, the cold storage near Rajabazar used to be the prime storage space. Its owner also runs an ice unit at Narkeldanga. The owner allegedly sourced the meat from the dumping grounds in and around the city and preserved them. Loaded trucks would reportedly come to the cold storage once in a fortnight and unload the meat there. When Biswanath Ghorui alias Mangsho Bishu had supply in excess, he would access the Maniktala storage unit, said police. Ghorui was arrested from Sonarpur earlier this week.

Police said they would be scouting for all cold storages linked to the Narkeldangabased man. Even at the Maniktala cold storage, one room was inaccessible to workers. Locals, however, claimed they used to see trucks entering the cold storage dead at the night. Police are cross-checking the claims.

The cops on Sunday took Ghorui to his Madhyamgram residence. Sources said that Ghorui had been living with another woman and had bought the property at Bibekanandanagar in Madhyamgram for her. Police seized two mobile phones and documents from the house.

Meanwhile, the Rajpur-Sonarpur municipality on Sunday installed two CCTV cameras at a dump yard under its jurisdiction. “We have been thinking of bringing the area under CCTV surveillance for long. The tender was floated much before the incident,” said Pallab Das, chairman of Rajpur-Sonarpur municipality.

Located near ward number 18 of the municipality, the dumping ground is spread over 14 bighas. Guarded with high walls, the dump yard did not have any provision of round-the-clock surveillance so far.

“We have installed two CCTV cameras. This will help us keep a tab on the movements inside. Another CCTV camera will be installed soon. We will also set up a crematorium for animals,” Das said. According to him, immediate cremation of dead animals will reduce chances of carcasses being smuggled out.