Key Points
16 cattle seized along Indo-Bangladesh border
Vigilance heightened by BSF for Eid
Smugglers armed with weapons confronted by jawans
Contraband items confiscated and processed legally
N K Pandey, DIG and Spokesperson, South Bengal Frontier, BSF, said that the vigil is enhanced along the IBB at this time of the year as there is a high demand for smuggled cattle in Bangladesh before Eid.
“A jawan of the 88 Bn BSF, posted at the Harishchandrapur Border Outpost in the Malda, spotted three to four smugglers approaching the border with cattle from the Indian side during the night. He immediately alerted his fellow jawan before rushing towards the smugglers, ordering them to stop,” he said.
DIG Pandey added that instead of heeding the order, the smugglers threatened him with sharp-edged weapons, adding that the jawan was then forced to fire two rounds from his non-lethal Pump Action Gun (PAG).
“Hearing the shots, the smugglers fled, using the cover of darkness,” he said.
He further added that a search of the area led to the seizure of seven cattle heads, adding that at the Agra BOP, the troops seized three more cattle.
DIG Pandey said that on the same night, two more cattle heads were seized from elsewhere in Malda and four in the Nadia district.
“The cattle will be e-tagged and handed over to the Dhyan Foundation. The drugs, Phensedyl and other items, have also been handed over to the appropriate departments for further legal processing,” he said.
He added that BSF jawans remain vigilant around the clock to combat smuggling along the IBB.
“Smugglers are constantly innovating and coming up with new tactics to evade detection but the relentless vigilance of BSF jawans coupled with strategic operations ensures that even the most innovative smuggling attempts are successfully foiled,” DIG Pandey said.
