An Inspector aided by Crime Branch personnel set up a meat exporter for smuggling 'cow meat' in Bhadohi, misguided the court and sold off a consignment for Rs one crore through a conduit in the market.
These sensational facts surfaced after an enquiry on the complaint of the exporter. Subsequent forensic tests confirmed that the `meat’ recovered by the cops was not of cow but some other animal.
On learning about the entire incident, the SP of Bhadohi set up an enquiry and suspended the erring Inspector. However, no departmental or criminal proceedings has been initiated.
When contacted on Thursday morning, ADG (law and order) Daljeet Singh Choudhary said that he was not aware of the above facts but assured action against the guilty. He said he had asked for a report from SP of Bhadohi.
As per reports, Station House Officer (SHO) of Gopiganj police station Ramesh Dubey intercepted a truck (UP81AF-9907) on January 26. The truck was loaded with 7000 kilograms of salted omasum. The consignment was coming from West Bengal and was headed for Hapur.
Despite the truck driver and a kin of the trader producing relevant papers to prove that the transport was legal, Dubey veleived that it was cow meat illegally being carted for sale.
Driven by this, the cop illegaly detained meat exporter Haji Iqbal's brother Mohamed Asfaq of Delhi Gate Road in Hapur and three truck staff for four days. later on January 29, Dubey registered a case of cow slaughter and illegal export of meat. On second throughts, the cop released all four warning them not to reveal anything to anu one or be ready to face action.
Soon after, Inspector Dubey procured an order from the Chief Judicial Magistrate to bury the meat in the ground. He misguided the court saying that the meat was rotting and the foul odour emanating from it could lead to spread of disease in the area.
While he buried some of the meat, but later sold the entire consignment in the market for over Rs one crore.
The sample of the meat buried by Dubey was also sent for examination in Forensic laboratory at Mathura. On Feburary 13, the Forensic laboratory confirmed that the meat shown 'recovered' was not that of cow but some other animal.
Meanwhile, Haji Iquab applied for the release of his consignment and contacted the SP of Bhodohi. He briefed the top cop that the 'recovered' item was salted omasum - a product which neither decays nor gives out foul odour and could be preserved for more than 6-months. He also produced documents to prove that no illegality was involved.
Scanning through the forensic report and suspecting foul play by the Inspector, the SP asked Circle Officer of Gyanpur, SS Pandey toi probe the matter threadbare. The probe was later handed over to Inspector Rang Bhadhur Pandey.
Through electronic surveillance and call detail records of Inspector Dubey, the probe team found out that a constable Mohamed Imran (Crime Branch) had joined hands to illegally seize the consignment and later lodged a fake case and sold the material in market to mint money. Besides, the role of another constable Shahid Khan posted in Ranchi (Jharkhand) and another person Mohamed Sitar also came up during sustained quizzing of Imran.
On the information probided by the trio, the entire consignment was recovered from a godown in Muradnagar (Hapur) owned by Shahzad and Sitab. The cops have so far arrested Imran, Shahzad and Sitab in the matter