GUWAHATI: Cattle smuggling from the state to Bangladesh is on the rise as is evident from the number of seizure by the Border Security Force in the past couple of years. This year itself, BSF has seized 7,616 cattle from the border areas.
The seizure list of the Guwahati frontier of BSF shows 29,300 head of cattle were rescued since 2011.
“Between October and December 2011, at least 2,710 cattle were seized. In 2012, the figure shot up to 6,056. Last year, the flourishing smuggling racket had yielded more seizures. At least 12,920 were seized in 2013,” said a BSF official, quoting records.
Intensified operations by the frontier have busted several contraband smuggling rackets. An international gang of cross-border militants and illegal drug dealers has been smuggling banned cough syrup Phensydil and marijuana.
“Till October this year, 13,147 bottles of Phensydil and 753 kilos of ganja were seized by the BSF’s Guwahati frontier. Last year, it was 27,946 bottles and 619 kilos respectively,” the official added.
In 2012, too, at least 15,900 bottles of Phensydil and 533 kilos of ganja were seized. “Since 2011, we have seized contrabands worth over Rs 1. 4 crore,” he said.
Besides, the Guwahati frontier also seized over Rs 17 lakh worth of fake Indian currency notes since October 2011, allegedly pumped in from Bangladesh.
To check trans-border smuggling, the frontier will speed up the construction of the International Boundary Border fencing along the Indo-Bangla border.
