Hapur (Uttar Pradesh), Apr 1: Uttar Pradesh's western region is turning into a hub for illegal cow slaughtering hub - purchased from distraught farmers in Rajasthan with the active connivance of low-ranking police officials, a police official said Sunday.
The crime figures of Panchsheel Nagar district suggest that cows and calves are being transported to the district from Rajsthan and sent to the Moradabad and Sambhal areas, said district police chief Ahok Kumar Raghav.
After taking over charge as the senior superintendent of police, Panchsheel Nagar, Raghav said he cracked down on the illegal slaughter and identified the points where it was being conducted as Kakor of Gautam Budh Nagar and Dhaulana of Panchsheel Nagar from where cows had been rescued.
"After the arrest of 55 criminals, so far, from Feb 15 till March 30, 301 live cows and calves had been rescued from their (slaughterer's) clutches. 24 criminal cases have been registered during this one and a month period and seven pistols, 11 knives and two swords have been recovered," he said.
During interrogation, the arrested men confessed that they got the cattle from poor farmers from Rajasthan and transported the cattle to Moradabad and Sambhal, adding the racket was flourishing due to collision with the lower and middle-ranking police officers, added Raghav.
The criminals further confessed that although the licensed slaughtering units are operating their business in and around National Capital Region (NCR) but there is high demand for cow meat in Arab countries. They said although they did not have export licenses but were still exporting the meat.
"We are verifying the criminals' confession and chalking out plans to finish the crime from its very source," said Raghav.
