Police seizes 150 kg of ‘beef’ in Vasai

The Valiv police in Vasai on Thursday seized around 150 kg of suspected beef from a Toyota Qualis car on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway near Satvali, after a few self-appointed gau rakshaks alerted them about the same.

A tyre of the Qualis carrying the suspected meat, which was being taken to Mumbai from Godhra according to the vehicle’s driver, had gotten punctured, triggering a traffic jam. But when locals assembled there, they raised an alarm about the odour emanating from the vehicle.

The police have now sent samples of the meat to the Kalina-based Forensic Sciences Laboratory for tests to determine whether it is indeed beef. The cops have also detained the car’s driver, Suhail Gej.

A Valiv police officer said, “Following the incident, locals informed the Valiv police and a team was immediately sent to the spot.” The officer also said: “The vehicle’s driver, Suhail Gej, told the police that he was supposed to reach Mumbai with what he called “jaanwar ka maans” (animal meat) and that he had received the meat from a Godhra-based supplier.”

He added: “When the vehicle was standing on the road, a few people had inhaled a suspicious smell, following which a few gau rakshaks came to the spot.” According to the police officer, the people present at the spot suspected that the Qualis was being used to transport beef, after which they thrashed the driver and vandalised the car.

A new law had come up in Maharashtra in 2015, which extended the existing ban on cow slaughter to bulls and bullocks. Further, in May this year, the Bombay high court upheld the state government’s ban on slaughter of beef in the state while allowing people to consume beef imported from other states.