BSF seizes cattle, other items worth Rs 49 lakh in Meghalaya while being smuggled to Bangladesh

Reports said the BSF have seized 133 cattle, 33 bottles of liquor and other items including wooden log, boat, clothes, fish, biri, soap, coal, betel nut-leaf and other edible items while being smuggled from India to Bangladesh through the porous international border in Meghalaya during last week in more than 55 incidents.

A top official of BSF said that troops had seized 2,825 kg tea and 2,000 kg dry betel nuts worth more than Rs 14.5 lakh on the bank of Piyang river near Dawki bridge on international border on March 21.

“The BSF has intensified its vigil at border in Meghalaya despite large number of troops being deployed in election duty in different parts of country. Last week remained very eventual for the sentinels of border in curbing trans-border crimes/smuggling. Several special operations were  launched by the BSF Troops deployed in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya and in one of these operations,” the top BSF official said.

He further said the BSF had also intensified its extra vigil along international border keeping in view the forth coming Lok Sabha elections.

“The Border Security Force has increased its domination on the Indo-Bangladesh Border to prevent illegal smuggling of liquor and cattle through international border in Meghalaya and succeeded to seize 15 cattle worth more than Rs 3 lakh on March 24  at Lyngkhat in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya,” the BSF official said.

All the seized items handed over to concerned department for further legal action.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)