Kolkata, May 3: Panic has struck the state capital and other parts of West Bengal after reports said meat of dead dogs, cats and other carcass have made their way to the eateries. Today according to a recent PTI report, the kingpin of the meat racket involved in procuring dead animals from dumping grounds and processing their flesh before supplying to markets was arrested from Garia in South 24 Parganas district by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), as informed by the Police.

The accused Biswanath Garai (52), a resident of Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district, was arrested near the Garia railway station last evening. Reportedly, till now 11 people have been arrested in connection with the case.

Right now a further investigation is being done to find out if any influential person is also involved in the crime. Last week, the government had seized 20 tonnes of rotten meat, suspected of dead animals and sourced from dumping grounds, meant to be supplied to eateries and departmental stores in the state as well as neighbouring Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar. The racket is being unearthed as police are raiding several meat shops in Kolkata. Last Saturday, the owner of a wholesale chicken outlet in Lake Town area of Kolkata escaped after the police officials raided his shop. Tonnes of rotten meat was recovered from the freezers.

As a result of the current panic situation in the state, sale of non-veg food items dipped to half at most joints, said the Hotel and Restaurants Association of Eastern India (HRAEI).

(With additional inputs from PTI)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 03, 2018 03:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).