Man arrested for cow slaughter in north Delhi

New Delhi: A 22-year-old man was arrested for allegedly being involved in cow slaughter in north Delhi's Gulabi Bagh area, police said on Sunday.

On February 7, police got information regarding an incident of cow slaughter near a vacant plot at Roshnara underpass of Gulabi Bagh. Police collected the remains of the animal from the scene and sent them to a government veterinary hospital, they said.

Following preliminary investigation, the accused was arrested on Saturday under relevant sections of the Delhi Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act, Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said.

The accused was identified as Aftab Ahmad alias Lukman, a resident of Janta Majdoor Colony, Babarpur, police said.

The accused revealed that he, along with his associates Arkam, Saleem, Maruf and Altamas, have slaughtered cows to sell their meat on multiple occasions, they said.

On the intervening night of February 6 and 7, he, along with co-accused persons, went to Gulabi Bagh area in his Honda City car. He was driving the vehicle.

The co-accused caught a cow on their way and took it to the vacant plot in Gulabi Bagh for slaughter, police said. The plot is adjacent to a temple, they added.

They were also involved in cases of cow slaughter in Rohini and Outer North district of the Delhi Police. Ahmad was booked in cases of robbery and snatching and under the Arms Act at Welcome and Shastri Park police stations in 2022, they added.