Woman BSF constable foils alleged cattle smuggling bid near Indo-Bangla border
The incident took place near Kedaripara in Malda district. Acting on a tip-off from the intelligence wing, a team of BSF personnel were kept on high alert
Kolkata: A woman constable of the Border Security Force (BSF) foiled an alleged cattle-smuggling attempt near the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal on Wednesday, officials said.
The incident took place near Kedaripara in Malda district. Acting on a tip-off from the intelligence wing, a team of BSF personnel were kept on high alert, said officials.
Officials said that the woman constable spotted a gang of six to seven suspected smugglers walking towards the border, following which she informed the patrol team and tried to catch them.
As she caught a few of them, they tried to attack her with sharp weapons, after which she fired at them, said officials, adding that the smugglers fled the spot, leaving behind the cattle.
A BSF team later searched the area along the border and rescued six buffaloes.
“...She fired at them in self-defense and tried to catch them. Upon hearing the gunfire, the smugglers fled while taking advantage of the darkness and uneven terrain. By then, the patrol team had reached the spot. During the search, six buffaloes were recovered,” said a BSF officer of the South Bengal Frontier.
Similar infiltration and smuggling attempts were also foiled in Nadia and Malda, where the BSF had to fire stun grenades and other firearms, said officials. Three cattle and around 150 bottles of phenol syrup were seized.
“Meetings were held with Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), and a strong protest was lodged against such attacks by Bangladeshi smugglers,” said a statement issued by the BSF’s South Bengal Frontier.
Ever since the political turmoil erupted in Bangladesh, the BSF has been holding meetings with villagers and panchayat members of bordering villages.
Villagers living along the Indo-Bangla border in West Bengal have been asked to stay clear of the Indo-Bangladesh international border, and shops have been ordered to close down by 9pm.
In north Bengal, a few hundred Bangladeshi nationals had gathered on the other side of the international border on Wednesday, pleading for help and demanding that they be allowed to enter India. They were later dispersed by the BGB.
“The BSF and BGB are holding joint patrolling along the border,” said a BSF official from the North Bengal Frontier.
The Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal is the longest and one of the most porous international borders in the country. Of the 4096.7 km long border, West Bengal alone shares 2,216 km with Bangladesh. In south Bengal, the border is more than 900 km long, out of which nearly 60% is riverine.