New Delhi:
Three men were arrested in connection with three separate incidents of cow slaughter in outer Delhi, police said on Wednesday.
Asif (36), his brother Mohnish (24), carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 each, were arrested along with their relative and accomplice Naeem (20) on Tuesday from their hideouts in Jamia Nagar, they said.
Five teams were constituted to nab the culprits who would slaughter cows and sell the meat for Rs 100 per kg, police said.
According to police, the first incident was reported at Ranhola Police Station on May 16 wherein carcasses of cows were found at an empty plot in Baprola village.
The second incident was also reported from the same village on the same day while the third incident was reported from Nihal Vihar area on May 20, police said.
Inspection of the three spots showed a common link and indicated involvement of the same people, they said.
A post-mortem was conducted and separate cases were registered under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code, Delhi Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act and Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act, police said.
As part of investigation, suspects previously involved in such acts were searched for and several meat traders were enquired for any clues about the probable suspects but police did not get any breakthrough, a senior police officer said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Parvinder Singh said over a week, footage of more than 600 CCTV cameras installed at various vantage points was analysed. During the analysis, the team was able to identify the vehicle used in the commission of crime.
“Our teams scanned through more than 1,350 CCTV cameras and route taken by the suspected vehicle was identified and the vital clues led the team to Jamia Nagar area. Around 110 suspects from Delhi and UP were rounded up and questioned about their involvement in the cases at Ranhola and Nihal Vihar area,” he said.
“With the help of technical and ground inputs, suspects were identified and rounded up from their hideouts in Batla House, Jamia Nagar on Tuesday,” the officer said.
A car was seized from Asif which he used to transport the meat. A curfew pass was also found affixed on it purportedly issued by the APMC, Azadpur Mandi to evade getting checked during the Covid lockdown, the DCP said.
Asif is involved in over two dozen criminal cases and was convicted in two of them in Delhi while his brother Mohnish is wanted in four criminal cases in Uttar Pradesh. Naeem helped his father in running their meat shop in Okhla area, he said.
The knives used by them for slaughter have been recovered, police said, adding further investigation is underway as names of a few others have also cropped up during preliminary investgation and efforts are being taken to nab them.
