A 54 year-old woman who was travelling from Goa on a Laxmi bus was allegedly harassed after being suspected of carrying beef with her.
According to sources Sherry Pereira from Mumbai has allegedly harassed by the police at Kharepaten check post in Maharashtra at 2 am on Sunday. She has maintained that she was carrying pork for her pregnant daughter.
According to Pereira, she was travelling in the Laxmi bus with her 76 year-old mother when the police and forest officials stopped the bus post midnight. Police officials asked her what she was carrying in her bag to which she responded that it did not contain anything objectionable. The cop present accused her of carrying beef and started cross questioning her.
Pereira explained saying all she had in the bag was Goan pork chops and coconut oil. But the police refused to believe her.
An official claiming to be a forest police said that carrying any kind of meat in the area was illegal and threatened to throw her in jail and present her in court and demanded a bribe of Rs 2000.
Pereira’s son-in-law Ian Bannerjee has claimed that the police have been using the beef ban to extort and harass women and these police men must be punished.
While the state police officials have promised investigation into the matter, the owner of Laxmi Travels claims the check post itself is illegal and that the police were earlier harassing the travellers claiming that they were smuggling liquor, now claim they use the beef ban excuse to do the same.