RAWALPINDI, March 19: A joint team of the health department and Sihala Slaughterhouse in collaboration with the local police seized 20 maunds (800kg) of unhygienic meat on Saturday and arrested two butchers. District Food and Sanitary Inspector Rana Ghulam Murtaza told Dawn that following a tip-off, a team comprising General Manager Sihala Slaughterhouse Dr Mohammad Irshad and the district food inspector along with the local police conducted a raid at Naseerabad on Peshawar Road in the precincts of Westridge police station and found two butchers unloading unhygienic meat brought in a truck from Sargodha and Sahiwal.

He said Dr Irshad checked the meat and declared it unfit for human consumption.

Mr Murtaza said two butchers – Mohammad Waris and Deen Mohammad – were arrested by Westridge police, adding that cases had been registered against them under Punjab Slaughtering Act 1963 which bars butchers from slaughtering animals outside the slaughterhouse.

He said slaughtering of animals under unhygienic conditions would not be tolerated and the health department had launched a drive to keep a check on such practices. He said the district health department and local police would raid different markets of the city and issue challans to those found selling unstamped meat.