BSF seizes cattle on Indo-Bangla border

Balurghat: Jawans under BSF's 122 Battalion recently rescued 33 cattle at Chalkbhatshala on Indo-Bangla border outpost. A senior BSF official said the smugglers wanted to send the cattle to Bangladesh.

No one has been arrested in this connection. The cattle were handed over to the police on Thursday. The market price of the cattle is about Rs 3,00,000, said a BSF officer.

The department has decided to put the cows on auction as legal owners of the animals have been not been found yet.

The amount earned from auction will be deposited to the state fund.

Cattle smuggle is a regular phenomenon in the vicinity of the international border shared with Bangladesh.

A swathe of the international border that has remained unfenced is helping cattle smugglers operating on both sides, said a BSF source.

Notably, South Dinajpur is covered by Bangladesh border on three sides.

Around 30 km of the total 252-km long stretch of border is still unfenced.

BSF officials have decided to develop close ties with villagers to maintain security in the border area.

They recently undertook several development measures for such people. According to a BSF official, civilians living in border areas of the two countries have been requested to help law-enforcing agencies tackle the problem of smuggling.