SIT to investigate beef-smuggling in Maharashtra

According to home department data from 2022 up to June 2025, a total of 2,849 cases were registered under the beef ban act

MUMBAI: While terming the continuing beef-smuggling in the state despite the ban “a serious matter”, minister of state for home Pankaj Bhoyar on Monday announced that the Mahayuti government would form a special investigation team (SIT) to probe it.

Pankaj Bhoyar

Shrikant Bhartiya, BJP member in the legislative council, on Monday raised the issue of beef smuggling in Maharashtra and expressed concern, as the state has passed a law which prohibits slaughter, sale and possession, and transportation of beef. Bhartiya pointed out an incident at Kusgaon, Lonavala, in March 2025, in which 57,000 kg of beef was seized from two containers, and referred to reports on the continuous smuggling of 20 to 25 tonnes of beef from Dharashiv district in Marathwada to parts of Telangana.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab also expressed concern over the matter and said that it demonstrated the failure of the home department to effectively execute the beef ban. Parab alleged that 57,000 kg of beef seized in Lonavala and reports of beef transportation from Dharashiv indicated that a huge nexus was involved. He also supported the demand for an SIT probe to go to the root of the beef-smuggling racket.

While replying to Bhartiya and Parab, Bhoyar admitted that beef smuggling was a serious matter, adding that in 2025, 76 cases were filed in Dharashiv district alone. “Following information, the police on March 26 this year seized 57,000 kg of red meat from two containers at Kusgaon on the Pune-Mumbai expressway,” he said. “Documents showed that it was from Asian Food Meem Agro and bore the label ‘Indian Halal frozen boneless buffalo offals’. Twenty samples were taken and sent to a forensic laboratory in Pune. Contrary to what the documents claimed, the laboratory said it was beef. So a case was registered with the Pune rural police.”

According to home department data from 2022 up to June 2025, a total of 2,849 cases were registered under the beef ban act, and 4,678 accused persons were arrested with 1,724 tonnes of beef seized during this period. Pointing to this data, Bhoyar announced the SIT probe.