Police have arrested four members of a gang accused of slaughtering sick and aged horses and selling the meat as beef in Gazaria upazila of Munshiganj.

The arrested individuals were identified as Rubel (39), Saurav (21), Sohel Gazi (21) and Yasin Arafat (21).

Munshiganj Superintendent of Police Mohammad Minhazul Alam disclosed the information at a press conference held at his office on Friday afternoon.

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He said police, with local assistance, raided Anarpura area on Wednesday morning after receiving information that a group was slaughtering sick and elderly horses. Sensing the presence of law enforcers, the suspects fled the scene, leaving behind slaughtered horse meat, which was later seized and handed over to the Department of Livestock Services.

Following a complaint filed by local resident Al-Amin Sikder, Gazaria Police Station registered a case in this regard.

Later, police conducted joint operations based on intelligence and information technology analysis, arresting the accused from Tongi East and Bason areas of Gazipur on Thursday evening.

During primary interrogation, the arrestees reportedly admitted that they, along with accomplices in Dhaka, had long been slaughtering sick horses from different parts of the country, especially char areas of the Jamuna, processing the meat and transporting it to Dhaka by pickup vans. They then sold it as beef to unsuspecting customers.

Police said drives are ongoing to arrest other members of the gang.