Carcass meat trade kingpin arrested in Kolkata

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Prime accused in the illegal carcass trade racket was arrested from southern fringe of the city by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) last evening, police said on Thursday.

"The kingpin, Biswanath Garai (52), a resident of Sonarpur of South 24 Parganas, was arrested on Wednesday evening from Garia Railway Station area by the SIT probing the case," a police official said.

According to the police, the accused who owns a godown in northern part of Kolkata where the meat of dead animals were stored, was allegedly involved in collecting the meat and then processing it.

Carcass meat was collected from different dumps in and around the city and stored in cold storage. From there, it was supplied to city restaurants and departmental stores.

So far, 11 persons had been arrested in connection with the case, the police official said.

The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday took out separate rallies to protest against the carcass meat trade unearthed last week.

The BJP activists marched towards the Trinamool Congress-run Kolkata Municipal Corporation and raised slogans against the state government.

The Youth Congress workers also came out with a protest rally at Moulali crossing in central Kolkata against the illegal trade scandal.

Activists of both opposition parties in the state carried placards and posters against the Trinamool Congress government and demanded immediate action against the culprits.

On Sunday, eight persons were arrested for alleged involvement in the trade of rotten chickens.

Last week, the police had seized nearly 20 tonnes of animal meat from a cold storage in north Kolkata that was meant to be supplied to departmental stores and hotels, and arrested 10 persons.

The police were preparing a detailed list of departmental stores and eateries where such meat was supplied while also looking into an international angle to the racket, amid suspicion that the rotten meat was also supplied to neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Nepal, a police official had said.

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