9 held for killing cows, selling meat

Ghaziabad: Police on Thursday arrested nine people in Masuri for allegedly slaughtering cows and selling meat.
The arrested have been identified as Noor Alam, Nabi Hussain, Sajid, Ayyub, Shakeel, Zahid, Bilal, Anees and Mohammad Fariyad, all residents of the same area. They were arrested from a field near Shamshan Ghat road in Masuri around 10pm on Thursday.
The accused allegedly told police that they had been working for Fakru, the husband of Sikror village pradhan. Meanwhile, Fakru is on the run, the police said. Following a tip-off, a police team gheraoed the field and asked the group to surrender. However, Sajid and Fariyad allegedly started firing at the police. No policeman was injured in the incident. Two of the accused managed to flee the spot, said SHO (Masuri) Om Prakash Singh.
Police recovered three cows, seven knives, two illegal arms and live cartridges from their possession. During questioning, the men confessed they slaughter cattle during night to avoid detection and later sell the meat in the market.
An FIR has been registered against the accused under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder) and under relevant sections of the Arms Act, the Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act and The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.