The police in Maharashtra's Palghar district have seized beef worth Rs 20.6 lakh and arrested two persons from Tamil Nadu who were allegedly transporting it in a container truck, an official said on Saturday.
Based on a tip-off, the district rural police laid a trap at Ghol village on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway in Palghar and intercepted a container truck on Tuesday evening, senior inspector Ajay Vasave said.
On inspection, the police found that beef from Tamil Nadu was being transported to the state, he said.
The transporters had given fake declaration about the consignment and made an attempt to escape but were caught, the official said.
A total of 21,018 kg of beef worth Rs 20 lakh were seized from the vehicle, he said, adding that the illegal consignment was meant to be delivered at Taloja.
A case has been registered against the accused Kolinchinath Rajendra Vaniar (37) and Ranjit Kumar Ganeshan (36), both residents of Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu, the official said.
The police have also booked the owner of the container truck and others associated with the crime under relevant sections of the IPC, Maharashtra Animal Protection Act and Cruelty to Animals Act, he added.
