Horse meat being sold as beef in N’ganj

Law enforcement agencies have uncovered a fraudulent operation in Purbachal, of Narayanganj's Rupganj, where horse meat was being sold as beef. 

During an operation early Friday, authorities rescued nine slaughtered and eleven live horses from a plot in the Hararbari area of Sector 10 in Purbachal.

According to sources at the Purbachal police outpost, a group of unscrupulous traders brought at least 20 horses there for slaughter. Of these, they slaughtered 9 horses. When local people came to know about the matter in the morning, they called '999'. Then, RAB and police members went to the spot.

Harun-or-Rashid, Sub-Inspector of Purbachal police outpost, said that law enforcement personnel conducted a joint operation after receiving the information. Sensing their presence, the suspects fled the scene. Police recovered 11 live and 9 slaughtered horses from the scene.

Narayanganj's Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (C-Circle) Mehedi Islam confirming the matter to The Daily Observer on Friday said that preliminary findings suggest that the group used to slaughter horses under the cover of darkness in a deserted area. The meat was then sold to various shops at lower prices, falsely labeled as beef.