Tension gripped Sahar region in Bhojpur after recovery of cattle remains from a house on Sunday morning. The cops arrested two men for allegedly running an illegal abattoir in the house.

Police said a mob surrounded the house of a resident belonging to the minority community at Abhgila village under the jurisdiction of Sahar police station over the rumours about the killing of a cow. The mob, however, became restless after some residents spotted the remains of the cattle in the house.

Police said beef was seized from the house and two persons were arrested on the charge of running an illegal slaughter house at the village, around 45km south of district headquarters town Ara and 105km southwest of Patna. However, the inmates of the house escaped unhurt due to intervention of the police.

The station house officer (SHO) of Sahar police station, Sanjay Kumar, said rumours of killing of a cow spread like wildfire in the region and soon people from Abhgila and neighbouring villages surrounded the house. 'The police reached the spot within no time and prevented the mob from breaking open the house,' he told The Telegraph over phone.

The SHO said the house was sealed in the presence of sub-divisional officer Navdeep Shukla. Bhojpur district magistrate Sanjeev Kumar and superintendent of police Avakash Kumar rushed to the spot and took stock of the situation. Additional armed police force has been deployed at the village.

Piro sub-divisional police officer Reshu Krishna said the police pacified the residents with an assurance that action would be taken against the offenders. She said the arrested persons admitted that beef was being smuggled from Abhgila village. 'Senior officials of the district are camping at the site,' she told this newspaper over phone.

The arrested persons have been booked under relevant sections of Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act and the IPC. 'The abattoir was being run without a valid licence,' she added. The sample would be sent to the animal and fish resources department's laboratory for test.

A representative of the local panchayat said timely intervention of the police averted a major incident as the mob, allegedly instigated by Bajrang Dal workers and the BJP activists, was about to set the house of the accused on fire.

'If there had been delay in arrival of the police, the situation would have been different. Some people were demanding killing the persons involved in the killing of the cow,' he said and added that the cattle were sacrificed as part of rituals on Bakr-Id.