A mobile court on Wednesday sentenced nine people to jail for slaughtering 13 horses and processing their meat for supply to hotels and restaurants in Dhaka and surrounding areas.

The convicts were Mizanur Rahman of Purba Dashra in Manikganj Sadar; Rubel of Telipara in Gazipur; Sohel Rana of Tulsipur in Jamalpur; Emon Hasan, Tuhin, and Masud Rana, all of Badda in Dhaka; Ibrahim Khalil Dighirchala in Gazipur; Humayun Kabir of Dhanbari in Tangail; and Maruf of Bara Berait in Dhaka.

One of the accused was sentenced to one year in jail without labour, while the other eight received six months each.

The sentences were handed down under Section 24 of the Animal Slaughter and Meat Quality Control Act, 2011, for violating Section 4 of the law.

The mobile court, led by Sadar Upazila Assistant Commissioner and Executive Magistrate Rikta Khatun, conducted a raid on an abandoned factory of Hasan and Brothers in the Jagir Pat Research Area of Manikganj Sadar.

During the raid, officials found 13 horses slaughtered at the site and another horse alive. Nine people were subsequently detained.

During interrogation, the detainees admitted that they had slaughtered horses at different times and supplied the meat to hotels and restaurants in various parts of Dhaka, said Rikta Khatun.

They also told the court that a man named Hiru from Singair had hired them to slaughter the horses and process the meat.

The processed meat from the 13 horses was also being prepared for supply to hotels and restaurants in Dhaka and nearby areas, the magistrate said.

Sadar Upazila Livestock Officer Dr Md Monir Hossain and police personnel were present during the raid.