BSF tightens vigil along Indo-Bangla border to prevent cattle smuggling

BSF's south Bengal frontier has stepped up its vigil along the India-Bangladesh border in order to prevent cattle smuggling. The force has received information that the process of "licensing" ''Cattle Haat'' on Bangladesh side of the border will be completed soon.

Kolkata: Apprehending a spurt in cattle smuggling, ahead of Eid-ul Zuha, the BSF''s south Bengal frontier has stepped up its vigil along the India-Bangladesh border, a senior official of the paramilitary force said.

According to the official, the force has received information that the process of "licensing" ''Cattle Haat'' on Bangladesh side of the border will be completed soon.

"In these ''Cattle Haat'', bovines that are sold have been mostly smuggled out of India. Since last year, due to increased vigil, cattle trafficking has almost stopped. But we are not taking any chances...

"We are also using advanced technology to thwart the nefarious designs of the smugglers," the Border Security Force (BSF) official said.

With the onset of the monsoon season, the force has increased the deployment of night camera tractors and speed boats to prevent animal trafficking.

The battalions posted in Malda and Baharampur sectors, especially in the vulnerable border outposts such as Neem Teeta, Harudanga, Madanghat, Sovapur, have been put on high alert, a statement issued by the BSF said.

"The BSF has made arrangements for joint operation with the local police. Units of the Border Security Force have set up temporary camps along the ghats, which are used for dropping cattle into the rivers near the border crossing," the statement said.

-PTI