Phagwara police on Thursday evening conducted a major raid, sealing an illegal cold storage facility and the adjoining ‘Jyoti Dhaba’ near Chachoki village in Kapurthala district. About 650 kg of suspected cow meat was seized from the premises, believed to be processed and packed for distribution in Jammu and Kashmir as well as parts of Uttar Pradesh.
The operation followed a complaint by Gurpreet Singh, national president of the Sanyukt Gau Raksha Dal, alleging the facility’s involvement in illegal cow meat trade. Acting on a tip-off, police arrested six accused persons, including a foreign national from Myanmar, indicating possible links to a broader international network.
Those taken into custody include Rihana Alam, Manjoor Ali, Mukhtar Alam, Yakir Hussain, Azad, and Qurban Ali—all residents of Malda district, West Bengal—along with local resident Madan Lal of Chachrari village near Goraya.
Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora informed that the accused were produced before the local magistrate, who remanded them to five days of police custody for further interrogation to uncover the extent of the operation.
However, several suspects remain absconding, including dhaba owner Manjit Singh, and others from Uttar Pradesh and Myanmar, alongside nine unidentified persons.
The FIR filed under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita includes charges relating to animal cruelty, public health hazards, and illegal slaughter under Sections 299, 325, and 111.
Following the seizure, authorities conducted a respectful burial of the suspected meat at Khajurala village near Phagwara, attended by community and religious leaders such as former Union Minister Som Prakash, Phagwara Mayor Rampal Uppal, and representatives from Hindu organisations.
Senior police officials, along with elected representatives including MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, formally sealed both the cold storage and dhaba, signaling the seriousness of the case and the commitment to strict enforcement.
Forensic analysis of the seized meat is pending to confirm its exact nature.
