Ulwe police book butcher for illegal slaughter near Navi Mumbai airport
The Ulwe police booked a 45-year-old butcher for illegally slaughtering animals and selling meat from an unauthorized tin shade on a pavement in Sector 20, Ulwe, Navi Mumbai. The illegal setup was located near a school and within the restricted 10-kilometre radius of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), violating aviation and animal safety laws.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Mohsin Abdulmajid Qureshi, a resident of Mohgaon in Panvel taluka, was booked after he repeatedly ignored previous warnings from the authorities.
According to Arjun Rajane, Senior Inspector of the Ulwe police, Qureshi had set up a temporary tin shade on the pavement where he slaughtered rams and goats and hung their meat for sale. These operations were conducted just two kilometres away from the aerodrome reference point of the airport.
Police reported that the animals slated for slaughter were kept in highly unhygienic conditions behind the tin shade, without access to any fodder or water.
During the action, police seized the butcher's knife and the wooden log used for the slaughter. They also rescued several rams and goats, collectively valued at Rs 76,000.
The rescued animals, along with a police report, were handed over to the manager of the Kalote Animal Trust in Kalote Mokashi, Khalapur taluka, Raigad district, to be cared for at their animal shelter.
Qureshi was not arrested but was served a notice under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita.
The Ulwe police have booked the accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for mischief by killing or maiming an animal.
He also faces charges under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024 (formerly the Aircraft Act, 1934), which strictly prohibits the slaughtering or flaying of animals, as well as the dumping of rubbish and filth, within a 10-kilometre radius of an aerodrome reference point. Additionally, charges were framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
