Bokaro district administration and police on Sunday jointly raided and sealed 10 illegal slaughterhouses, two of them for allegedly selling beef, and arrested one trader.

Altogether, raids were conducted at 10 illegal slaughterhouses in Chas, Marafari and Balidih police station areas. While evidence against two selling beef was found, eight others, which sold mutton and chicken, were sealed for not possessing valid permits to run slaughterhouses.

Starting at 6am from Chas, the drive was led by Chas SDO Satish Chandra in which Bokaro city DSP Ajay Kumar and district policemen, including officers-in-charge of thanas concerned, took part.

In Chas, raids were held at the slaughterhouses of Md Hakim Parwez Shah, Jamu Shah, Sabir Shah, Md Shahid and Samsud Ansari.

The police filed FIRs against Parwez and Jamu for allegedly trading in beef.

The team seized six live cows and calves and some bones from Jamu's slaughterhouse and arrested him.

The team found skins from Parwez's slaughterhouse, of whose samples they took for testing, but did not arrest him as they could not collect enough evidence against him.

Speaking to the media along with Bokaro DC R.M. Ray and SP Y.S. Ramesh, SDO Chandra said they first raided Parwez's slaughterhouse.

"His licence had expired way back in 2011," said Chandra. "Though we had information that he sold beef we only spotted some skins, which we will test," he said.

With live cattle and bones, Evidence against Jamu was stronger, he said. "Jamu, who also did not have any licence, was arrested for illegal trade," he added.

Also in Chas, raids were held at slaughterhouses of Shabir Shah, Mohammed Shahid and Samsud Ansari who did not possess valid licences. No evidence of beef trade was found in these places.

Two slaughterhouses in Marafari thana area were also raided on the tip-off that owner Rahim Ansari sold beef to nearby Chand Hotel and Yasin Hotel. "No evidence was found, but we strictly warned Ansari not to sell beef," the SDO said.

In the last phase of Sunday's drive, slaughterhouses of Asin Mallik, Jasin Alias Chhotu and Taj Mohammed in Balidih were raided and sealed for not having valid licences.

Bokaro SP Ramesh asked all illegal slaughterhouses in Bokaro to wind up operations and added that police would not tolerate law and order disturbance over "prohibited meat (beef)" sale. Bokaro DC Ray said the district administration would strictly implement the state government order to ban beef.