Three Muslim women, Shama Parveen, Shaista, and Fatima, were arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi district after police arbitrarily raided their home over allegations that they were cooking beef, even though forensic confirmation of the seized meat is still awaited.
According to police, they received information on Wednesday alleging that a family in the area had brought beef and was cooking it inside their house.
After what police described as verification of the tip-off, a team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Abhishek Singh conducted a raid at the residence.
Police claimed that upon seeing the raiding team, four men fled through the village's narrow lanes.
They also alleged that the three women attempted to escape but were detained by women police personnel.
During the search, police said they recovered about 1 kilogram of cooked meat from a container and another 1 kilogram of raw meat in a transparent plastic bag.
“We have arrested the three women. During questioning, they told us the meat was beef that had been brought by their family members from outside,” Deputy SP Abhishek Singh was quoted by IE as saying.
However, police also confirmed that the seized meat has been sent to a forensic laboratory and that the investigation is awaiting the test results to establish whether it is beef.
Despite the forensic examination still being pending, police registered a case against the women under various provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act at Sarai Akil Police Station.
Police said they are searching for the women's husbands and another man from the neighbourhood, all of whom reportedly work in Mumbai and had recently returned to Kaushambi.
Police also said they are trying to determine where the meat was sourced from and whether similar purchases had been made earlier.
The arrests come amid the continued stringent enforcement of Uttar Pradesh's anti-cow slaughter law, under which police frequently register criminal cases based on allegations of possession or consumption of beef.
In several such cases, forensic examination of the seized meat is carried out after arrests have already been made, with laboratory findings determining whether the allegations are substantiated.
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