450 kg of beef seized in Ahmedabad, accused flee after abandoning car

The Shahpur police have registered a case after seizing around 450 kg of illegally transported beef worth nearly ₹90,000 from a Santro car that was abandoned by its occupants following a late-night chase near Delhi Chakla–Delhi Darwaza in  Ahmedabad in the early hours of Tuesday.

Police personnel from Shahpur Police Station were on routine night patrol when they received specific intelligence around 12.05 am that a black Santro car, allegedly carrying illegal cattle meat, was heading towards Shahpur from the Delhi Darwaza side. The vehicle was reportedly being driven by Bhanu Pathan, a resident of Shahpur, with Nafis alias Arif Nafees Ahmed Qureshi, a resident of Mirzapur.

Acting on the tip-off, the police set up a blockade at Delhi Chakla. Around 12.20 am, a car matching the description approached the checkpoint but suddenly turned back on noticing the police. The officers chased the vehicle towards Delhi Darwaza, where heavy traffic forced the occupants to abandon the car and flee on foot into the narrow lanes of Dariapur.

Although the two men escaped, police identified them during the chase. On inspecting the abandoned Santro car, officers found nine sacks concealed inside the vehicle. On opening them, the sacks were found to contain beef, with each sack weighing approximately 50 kg. The total quantity of meat was estimated to be around 450 kg.

Police also recovered an iron axe with a wooden handle and a knife from the vehicle. The Santro car, valued at ₹1 lakh, was seized along with the meat and other tools, taking the total value of the seized items to about ₹1.9 lakh.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s sanitary inspector from the slaughterhouse department was called to the spot, who collected samples of the meat for forensic examination. The remaining meat was rendered unusable by treating it with kerosene and phenyl, as per procedure. The samples were later sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), which confirmed that the seized meat was beef, according to the police.

Based on the complaint filed by an assistant head constable of Shahpur Police Station, a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Gujarat Animal Protection (Amendment) Act, 2017, and the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949.

Police said further investigation is under way to trace and arrest the accused who fled the scene and to identify the source and intended destination of the illegal meat consignment.