Four Bangladeshis among five cattle smugglers held on border

Four Bangladeshi nationals and a local trader were arrested in Meghalaya's West Jaintia Hills district and 300 kgs of beef were seized from their possession, officials said on Thursday.

A BSF party intercepted a vehicle from a spot close to the Indo-Bangladesh border in the Muktapur area, about 110 kms from here, and apprehended the five persons, a spokesperson of the force said.

He added that 300 kgs of beef were seized from their possession.

The seizure was made on Wednesday night and on Thursday, the five persons were handed over to the district police, which placed them under arrest, the BSF spokesperson said.

West Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police (SP) Lakador Syiem said the four Bangladeshis -- identified as Noor Islam, Abdul Kalam, Shwel Ahmed and Kamal Miya -- were arrested under the Foreigners Act and 6,000 Bangladeshi taka were seized from their possession.

A local trader, identified as Samiwell Lyngdoh of Muktapur village, was also held, he added.

The price of the seized beef is estimated to be Rs one lakh in the international market, according to the Border Security Force (BSF).

The BSF spokesperson said the Bangladeshi nationals had come to meet Lyngdoh for smuggling of cattle but due to injuries to the cattle, it could not be taken across the border.

The animals were slaughtered near the border and the meat was being transported in the vehicle, he added.

The Meghalaya frontier of the BSF said it had stepped up its special drive against cross-border smuggling in order to thwart any anti-national design of trans-border criminals.

Last week, the BSF had seized over 250 cows meant for smuggling to Bangladesh and contraband items worth over Rs 50 lakh from various places along the 443-km-long Indo-Bangladesh border in the north-eastern state.