https://swadharma.in/7-muslims-arrested-for-selling-samosas-stuffed-with-beef-in-gujarat/
During an investigation into an alleged incident involving the use of beef at a well-known meat samosa shop in Vadodara, Gujarat, a total of seven Muslims have been apprehended, including the shop proprietors, as per the authorities. The mutton samosas being sold at the establishment were purportedly filled with cheaper beef to increase profits.
Acting on a tip-off, the Local Crime Branch of Vadodara city Zone 4 conducted a raid on Saturday and confiscated 113 kg of beef along with 152 kg of the filling used in making the samosas from the popular ‘Hussaini Samosa’ suppliers situated in the Chhipwad area.
The six Muslims arrested and interrogated on Sunday are owners Yusuf Sheikh and Naeem Sheikh, employees Hanif Bhathiyara, Dilawar Pathan, Moin Habdal and Mobin Shaikh.
Yusuf and Moin used to sell raw samosas (not fried) to shops across the city where they were fried and sold to the customers as meat samosas. “We have suspended his Food Safety and Standards Authority of India license and asked him to close the shop,” said Dr Mukesh Vaidya, additional medical officer.
On Monday, the beef supplier, Imran Yusuf Qureshi, was also taken into custody by the police. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 4, Panna Momaya stated, “The accused individuals were supplying pre-prepared samosas to various stalls and shops selling meat samosas throughout the city. They were also vending ready-to-eat samosas from their shop in Chhipwad within the old city area. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report has confirmed that the confiscated meat was indeed beef. The accused were using beef to maximise profits from their business, deceiving unsuspecting customers. The shop owners did not possess any license from the civic body to operate their establishment.”
“The duo used to sell samosas from a small shop. Locals said that they gradually started expanding their property and also built a five-storey building from the profits they earned by selling the samosas. They also bought a house. The case is still under investigation,” said another senior police official.
“We are now trying to ascertain for how many years they have been selling beef samosas under the garb of meat samosas and if they have bought any more properties or stashed money somewhere,” the official added. On Monday, the cops arrested Imran Qureshi, a resident of Anand, who supplied the cow meat to the key accused.
Though Yusuf and Moin used to run this popular shop from a five-storey building in the Chhipwad area for years, they didn’t have a license to operate the shop. “The shop was being operated illegally. So, we have written to the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) and asked them to seize the property,” said Panna Momaya, DCP (Zone IV).
Momaya mentioned that during the raid, the police seized 61 kg of prepared ready-to-fry samosas. Following the receipt of the FSL report, the authorities confiscated bowl and crusher machines valued at Rs 49,000.
The seven accused, all Muslims, have been charged under Section 8 and Section 10 of the Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill 2017, which outlines penalties for violations of the anti-cow slaughter legislation.
In another incident of the kind, Rahim Shaikh, Azhar Shaikh, Mazar Shaikh, Azar Shaikh and Vicky Shaikh stuffed samosas with condoms, stones and tobacco and supplied the stuff to the Tata Motors canteen in Pune.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, mainstream and social media have reported hundreds of incidents of “food jihad” by Muslims who adulterate food, spit on the recipe while cooking or on prepared food before serving it or masquerade as Hindus to sell sweets at Hindu pilgrimage centres.
