Pune: Animal welfare officers, gaurakshaks, and Pune Rural Police have caught four tempos carrying beef from Osmanabad to Mumbai on Sunday (August 2), early in the morning. The tempos were seized from two different locations in the Maval area. Around 24 tonne beef was found loaded in the four tempos.
The raids were conducted at Urse toll plaza and near Talegaon Dabhade city in the wee hours of Sunday. A case has been registered against unidentified suspects at Shirgaon Parandwadi police station and Talegaon Dabhade police station.
In the first incident reported from Urse toll plaza, Animal Welfare Officer Shivshankar Swamy was informed by a 'Gosevak volunteer' that three tempos were illegally carrying beef towards Mumbai on the Pune-Mumbai expressway. The information was shared with the local and highway police and a trap was laid at the Urse toll plaza. Accordingly, three tempos were stopped and searched.
The tempos were covered with vegetables from all sides to cover up for the illegal transportation of beef. The beef weighing 18 tonne was seized. It was being transported from Osmanabad to Mumbai. A second operation was carried out near Talegaon Dabhade. A tempo containing six tonne of beef was seized at Shirgaon Parandwadi.
A total of 24 tonnes of beef and four tempos have been seized by the police.
On July 31, Daund police had booked the son of a former municipal councillor and husband of a serving municipal councillor on charges of smuggling cows for slaughter. Deputy Superintendent of Police Aishwarya Sharma had rescued 13 cows from the possession of the suspects and relocated them in a cow shelter.
Vicky Dilip Bansode (25) and Kalu alias Bastian Anthony Philip (53), both residents of Daund, were booked by police in this incident. Bansode is the son of a former councillor while Philip is the husband of a serving councillor. Philip is still absconding.
