Kochi: Cops have seized meat of vulnerable species from a toddy shop in Thrippunithura. They included 20 kg of sambar deer and 7 kg monitor lizard (udumbu) meat. Shadow wing of the police seized the meat from Padippura Shop near Udayamperoor and detained an unnamed man who was managing it. They suspect a group of poachers from Aanakkulam near Munnar behind the illegal killings and smuggling meat.
The seized meat, ready to cook, would be handed over to the forest department, the police said. In a press release, they said the meat was popular among those who frequent toddy shops in and around Kochi who are more interested in dishes they serve rather than the toddy. They believe a Champakara native was delivering the meat of endangered species. Shadow police SI Hanley K. Das and his team carried out the operations.
