BSF foils smuggling bid, seizes 107 buffaloes along Indo-Bangla border in WB

The BSF has repulsed armed Bangladeshi cattle smugglers and seized 107 buffaloes along the Indo-Bangla border in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, the force said Wednesday.

The smuggling bid took place on the intervening night of July 9-10 at border post Nirmal Char in the Murshidabad district of the state, the Border Security Force said.

The smugglers were attempting to take the cattle herd to the Bangladeshi side amid "unabated rain" and darkness, and they attacked the troops with 'dahs', a cleaver-shaped weapon, hasua (axe) and bamboo sticks among other sharp objects, the BSF said.

"BSF personnel though were outnumbered by the Bangladeshi smugglers, they displayed valour, grit and commitment to foil the smugglers' attempts. The troops were also attacked with arms and country-made bombs," it said.

The BSF troops also fired a number of pump action gun (PAG) rounds to thwart the attack and the smuggling bid after which the group of 200 smugglers, called 'Rakhal' in local language, was dispersed, it said.

The seized 107 cattle, worth about Rs 18.68 lakh, have been kept at the BSF border post and a case has been registered at the local police station at Ranitala, it added.