Vijayawada Municipal Corporation officials intercepted and seized a consignment of stale and rotten body parts of goat and sheep bound to Machilipatnam at the railway parcel counter on Saturday.
Acting on a tip-off by an anonymous phone caller at around 9 a.m., VMC’s veterinary assistant surgeon Dr. Ravi Chand and his team visited the railway station.
At around 11 a.m., after the Howrah-Yaswanthpur Express arrived at the station, 14 sealed boxes were dropped off at the parcel counter by porters. Officials who grew suspicious over the contents of the thermocol boxes opened them with the help of railway staff and found body parts of goat and sheep in a decomposed condition. The consignment was believed to be sent either from West Bengal or Odisha.
Officials traced the parcel recipient to one Kaza of Machilipatnam and were unable to contact him as the phone number given was not reachable. The meat, weighing around one tonne, was buried at a dumping yard in Pathapadu near the city.
Officials launched an investigation into the illegal trade and import of stale meat from other States. They suspect that the meat was imported to be sold in the district markets where prices are higher compared to that in northern States. Further investigation is on.
