In the Thane area of Maharashtra, a tempo accident resulted in the illegal transportation of animal meat inside the vehicle and the arrest of one person, said police.
On Sunday at around 6.45 am, the tempo, proceeding on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway, met with an accident and overturned near village Ovli in the district, said an official of the Narpoli police station. After the accident, the police were alerted about blood leaking from the tempo and a patrolling team of the Narpoli police soon reached the spot, he said.
An enquiry with two persons spotted near the vehicle revealed no one was injured in the accident, he said. The tempo was then thoroughly checked by the police and 800 kgs of animal meat was found stored in drums. The meat, sent for testing to a laboratory to establish its nature, was being illegally transported from Nashik to Mumbai, said the official.
He said three persons, including the driver and the man who had purchased the meat, were booked under relevant sections of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, the Indian Penal Code, the Motor Vehicles Act and the Municipal Corporation Act. One of them, Sahid Rafiduddin Shaikh (44), who was accompanying the consignment and travelling with the driver, was arrested, he said, adding the vehicle was also seized.