Nine held with unhygienic meat in Rawalpindi

RAWALPINDI: A team of City District Health today (Friday) arrested 9 butchers and seized 1000 kilograms of unhygienic and stale meat.

Following a complaint, District Health Inspector along with a squad of officers from the Saddar Baruni police station raided a spot.

According to an official, the detainees were selling unhygienic meat in different parts of Rawalpindi through various vehicles. Police and the health officials confiscated a vehicle carrying potentially hazardous meat from the Church Road.

The official said that butchers, including Mohammad Younus, Imran Khan, Ishtiaq, Amjad Rauf, Zohaib, and Muhammad Farooq were arrested from the scene. Cases were registered against the arrested butchers under the Punjab Slaughtering Act of 1963.

During the preliminary investigation, the suspects disclosed that they wished to sell the meat in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

An official of the City District said that the department would stop slaughtering of animals outside the slaughterhouse and selling of meat without the stamp of veterinary doctors.

The official further said that the City District staff along with the district health department and police would book those selling unstamped meat.