West Bengal: BSF foils cattle smuggling bid in Nadia district, 1 held

Nadia (West Bengal) [India], June 24 : Border Security Force (BSF) has thwarted a cattle smuggling bid near the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal's Nadia district and apprehended one person, officials said on Friday.

According to the BSF officials, a large group of smugglers, on the intervening night of June 22-23, from both sides of the International Boundary attempted to smuggle cattles through the Ichhamati River. In response to this, Alert BSF troops attempted to intercept the smugglers.

However, smugglers in return hurled country-made bombs on the BSF, in which a jawan sustained injury.

"Further jawans of 8 Border Security Force (BSF) under South Bengal frontier successfully intercepted and apprehended a cattle smuggler, who was abandoned by his associates," officials said.

The apprehended man was later identified as Hasanur Mondal, son of Anirul Mondal, hailing from Village Kanibamini, PO- Duttapulia, Nadia District, West Bengal.

"Mondal revealed that with his three accomplices named Shero from Village Munshihati, Raghu, and Saahar from Village Kanibamini, had conspired to smuggle cattle heads across the border. Their plan was to use the bridge of BOP Ichhamati to hand over the cattle to their Bangladeshi counterparts, namely Zahaur (leader of the group), Raju, and Sagar from Village Raipur near Poliyanpur in Bangladesh. Hasanur Mondal confessed that his group possessed Desi bombs, knives, and stones, which they intended to use to distract and harm the security forces in order to facilitate their cattle smuggling operation," BSF said.

Further information is awaited.