Four persons were today arrested for allegedly smuggling 2,400 kg of beef into the city, police said.
Earlier this year, Maharashtra government has banned cow slaughter and sale of beef in the state.
Acting on a tip off, police laid a trap and intercepted a beef-laden truck in suburban Vikhroli in the wee hours, an official attached to Vikhroli police station said.
"On checking, we found beef inside the truck and arrested four persons from the spot," he added.
The accused have been identified as Akhtar Sheikh (24), Sajid Kureshi (33), Yunus Kureshi (36) and Jaffar Khan (30).
The collected samples have been sent for testing at a veterinary hospital in Parel in central Mumbai, police said.
A case under relevant sections of IPC, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Act and Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act has been registered in this connection, they added.
Meanwhile, all the accused were produced in the holiday court and were released on bail.
In Maharashtra, anyone found guilty possessing/selling beef will have to pay a hefty fine of Rs 10,000 or can be sentenced to prison for 5 years.
