Illegal meat factory case: Meerut police declare reward on ex-U.P. minister, his two sons

The rewards were declared a day after police attached Qureshi’s house situated at Sarai Behleem locality and his meat factory

Police on Friday declared a reward of ₹25,000 each on former U.P. minister Haji Yaqoob Qureshi and his two sons Imran and Feroz absconding since March 31 after a raid was conducted on Qureshi’s meat factory which he had allegedly been running without renewal of its licence. Circle officer, Kotwali area, Arvind Chaurasia confirmed this.

Former U.P. minister Haji Yaqoob Qureshi and his two sons have been absconding since March 31. (HT file)

The rewards were declared a day after police attached Qureshi’s house situated at Sarai Behleem locality and his meat factory. Both the properties are estimated to be worth ₹125 crore, police said. Situated on Hapur road under limits of Kharkhauda police station, the factory, Al Faheem Meatex Pvt Ltd, exported packaged meat to the Middle East and other countries.

A joint team of the police, weights & measures department, pollution board and other departments had conducted a raid at the meat factory on March 31 this year after complaints that the factory’s licence had expired but processing/packaging of meat was still on there. The joint team had recovered 6000 kg meat and over 1200 kg bones from the factory and arrested 10 workers from the spot who were sent to jail.

Police then registered a case against 14 people, including Yaqoob, his sons Imran, Feroz and wife Sanjeeda Begum, with Kharkhauda police station. The first information report (FIR) said they were acting as a gang to accumulate money by indulging in illegal operation of the factory. In May, the Allahabad high court had granted bail to Yaqoob’s wife Sanjeeda Begum while the former minister and his two sons are still at large.