New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) Police have arrested three criminals allegedly involved in a cow slaughter case in northeast Delhi's Karawal Nagar area, officials said on Thursday.

The arrested accused are Wajhat (32), Jahane Alam (30) and Sajid (28) -- all natives of Uttar Pradesh's Hasanpur.

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The police said the accused were found to be "dreaded criminals" operating from Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal.

"On December 24, a call was received at Karawal Nagar police station that some cow heads and other body parts had been found near the Janki Panchal Vihar area. An FIR was registered and investigation taken up," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Joy Tirkey said.

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The police said CCTV camera footage was analysed and several teams were formed to nab the accused.

"A Honda City bearing a Delhi registration was found involved in the case. The car's route was tracked and it was found that three people had disembarked near the Seemapuri depot," Tirkey said.

Police teams identified the trio using local sources and apprehended them from their rented accommodation in the Mustafabad area.

The accused confessed to their crime during interrogation, the police said.

They disclosed that they used Xylaxin injections -- procured from a chemist in Jafrabad -- to make the cows unconscious. The cows were strays and lifted from areas in Delhi-NCR. They purchased the car and used it to sell meat to customers, the senior police officer said.

The police also seized 17 syringes and 34 needles from them.

"All three accused were found to be dreaded criminals, involved in more than 15 cow slaughter cases registered in Uttar Pradesh," Tirkey said.

"Sajid is the mastermind of the gang and a notorious criminal who came out of the Moradabad jail in July. He was shot in the leg by the Uttar Pradesh Police during an encounter in some other case. Efforts are being made to trace their involvement in other cases," he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)