CAMEL MEAT EXPORT UNDER COPS’ RADAR

Two days after 97 camels were seized by the Rachakonda police, a probe is on to find out whether camel meat is exported from the city.

The Balapur police on Friday seized 97 camels and arrested four persons for planning to slaughter them. The police slapped Sections 428 and 429 of the IPC on them. The police have come to know that a few persons are running illegal abattoirs at Balapur and Jalpally. The police are looking at their role in exporting camel meat. Under the guise of cold storage units, illegal abattoirs are set up on the outskirts of the city where the animals are slaughtered and processed before sending them to the registered exporters in the country.

Earlier, bulls were illegally slaughtered after obtaining a certificate from the GHMC. “Compared with bulls, camels are cheaper and the profit margin is high when exported to the Middle East. So, camels are brought to the city from Rajasthan and slaughtered here,” said Mr Mahesh Agarwal, an animal rights activist.

Mr Dattraya Joshi, another animal rights activist, said that local butchers sell the camel meat for `100 per kg.

While a bull costs `20,000, a camel can be bought for `15,000. “It is owing to profit margin the camels are slaughtered,” said sources.

The Rajasthan government in 2014 declared camel as the ‘state animal’, hence, its slaughter does not take place there.