Looking into any irregularities at facility: SIT inspects now-sealed BMC-run abattoir

Bhopal: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the seizure of suspected banned meat linked to the BMC-run Jinsi slaughterhouse is verifying records from the Bhopal Municipal Corporation to ascertain when operational control changed hands and whether any irregularities occurred, after the accused denied that the meat was that of a cow or its progeny. The SIT inspected the sealed slaughterhouse facility on Saturday as part of its intensified investigation, even as the main accused continued to be grilled during police remand, sources told TOI.SIT members spent several hours at the Jehangirabad (Jinsi) slaughterhouse, examining its layout, machinery, and operational process. According to SIT sources, the facility is designed for processing frozen boneless meat and is largely automated, with minimal manual intervention. "The production capacity and daily output depend entirely on the availability of livestock. There is no scope for large-scale manual handling inside the plant," a source said, adding that investigators are assessing whether the existing infrastructure matches the volume of meat seized in Dec.During interrogation, the accused slaughterhouse operator, Aslam Qureshi consistently denied that the seized meat was beef and challenged the forensic laboratory report from Mathura, which concluded that the samples were of a cow or its progeny. However, SIT sources said that since a laboratory report is already on record, the onus is now on the accused to substantiate his claim. "If he maintains that it was buffalo meat, he will have to explain how beef was detected in the samples," a senior officer said.The accused also told investigators that the slaughterhouse was handed over to him on Nov 7, 2025. SIT members are now verifying this claim with records from the Bhopal municipal corporation to ascertain when operational control changed hands and whether any irregularities occurred around that period. Saturday's inspection comes at a time when the main accused, slaughterhouse operator Aslam Qureshi, was on police remand for the past three days. Investigators questioned him throughout the day, focusing on the sourcing of animals, the slaughter process, packaging, and dispatch of meat consignments. Sources said the questioning is aimed at reconstructing the entire supply chain and identifying the origin of the cows whose meat was allegedly found in the seized consignment.Finding the source of the cows allegedly slaughtered remains a key focus of the probe. Investigators are examining procurement records, transport documents, and CCTV footage seized earlier to determine whether prohibited animals were brought into the facility or whether the meat originated elsewhere and was only processed or packaged at Jinsi.Two accused, including Qureshi and truck driver Shoaib, are currently in judicial custody, while police have not ruled out naming more individuals if evidence suggests wider involvement. Officials said the investigation is still underway, and further action will be guided by technical, documentary, and forensic findings, with no final conclusions drawn at this stage.