The Meerut police attached properties worth Rs 9 crore belonging to Bahujan Samaj Party leader and meat mafia Haji Yakub Qureshi and identified his properties worth over Rs 31 crore.

The action, which is part of the state government's ongoing action against meat mafias in Uttar Pradesh, was initiated on Thursday. Qureshi’s other unlawful assets totalling over Rs 31 crore have also been identified.

On the other hand, on the third day of the Income Tax Department’s raid on the residence of Aligarh meat businessman Haji Zaheer, property worth crores of rupees was found.

Speaking about the police action on the properties of Yakub Qureshi, Circle Officer of Kithore, Rupali Roy, said, “Two plots of lands of Haji Yakub Qureshi which have been attached today are in the name of Haji Yakub Qureshi's wife Sanjeeda Begum. These properties were purchased with money obtained through criminal activities."

Roy added that Yakub Qureshi’s other illegal assets worth Rs 31 crore 77 lakh had also been marked and action would be initiated on these properties also.

A total of 26 properties, including both land and buildings, have been identified as belonging to Yakub Qureshi. There are 32 cars in all. There are more than 24 premium four-wheelers and some two-wheelers.

Haji Yakub Qureshi, a former minister in the BSP and Samajwadi Party governments, is currently held in Sonbhadra prison under the Gangsters Act and the Anti-social Activities (Prevention) Act. Imran and Firoz, two of his sons, are presently out on bail.

Seven luxurious houses are among the 26 sites that have been designated as land and buildings. These mansions are located at various locations in Meerut. Yakub Qureshi’s school, hospital, meat factory, land, two homes in Sarai Bahlim, and other unlawful properties have been identified by the police on Hapur Road.

Yakub Qureshi owns properties in 10 villages. Some construction work has also been done at these places. Two bungalows in Sarai Bahlim Kotwali area were bought in the name of Sanjeeda Begum. In Zahidpur, a bungalow and six buildings have been identified. Registered in the names of Yakub Qureshi and his sons Imran and Firoz, luxury and expensive vehicles such as Mercedes, Jaguar, and Range Rover have also been found. There are 23 vehicles registered in the name of Al Faheem Meatex Company, including Innova, Pajero, Balero, and five Scorpios.

Former minister Haji Yaqoob Qureshi owned and ran Al Fahim Meatex Private Limited. This meat factory is situated in village Allipur Jijmana Dhikauli under Kharkhoda police station area. Illegal business of meat packaging and processing was going on in the factory. Police charged 18 people, including Yakub Qureshi, his wife Sanjeeda and sons Firoz and Imran, after recovering meat from the spot. Meat worth Rs 5 crore was caught in the factory.

Meanwhile, Youtubers associated with the 'Bhojpuri Disco' channel have been arrested on charges of robbing people in Gorakhpur. The police have recovered a motorcycle that was allegedly used during the robbery, a 32-bore revolver and empty cartridges. However, the mastermind behind the crime has yet to be apprehended.

As per the reports, the popularity of social media lured some young individuals into illegal activity. The 'Bhojpuri Disco' channel, which featured Bhojpuri songs and dance performances, gained significant traction, attracting over 8,00,000 followers. As a monetised channel, revenue started to flow in. But after the channel's creators failed to comply with YouTube's policies, the channel was penalised and its earnings stopped. After the channel failed to earn decent revenue, a group of young men associated with it started robbing people. They would book camera operators online and then target them.

In the first incident, they targeted a camera operator in Deoria, while the second victim was from Varanasi. The incident took place on March 21. The accused stole cameras and lenses worth Rs 6-7 lakh after threatening him.

On the basis of the complaint registered by the victims, a case was registered against the people running the YouTube channel, said Gorakhpur's Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Grover.

“With the help of Khorabar police surveillance, five people have been arrested. However, their mastermind is still out of reach," he said.

Grover said, "The police have recovered all the looted items. Along with the motorcycle used during the robbery, a 32 bore revolver and empty cartridges have also been recovered."