GUWAHATI, Sept 7 - A total of 132 cases of cattle smuggling have been filed in the five border districts of Karimganj, Cachar, South Salmara and Dhubri and 91 persons were arrested during the period January-July 2017.
Stating this in the Assembly while answering a question by BJP legislator Binanda Saikia on Wednesday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said that smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh from the border districts of Assam had come down considerably following tough action by the State police and the BSF. But the riverine route was still conducive for smuggling and that efforts are on to put a complete stop to smuggling, he added.
Patowary said that Bangladesh was a major exporter of beef and that was fuelling illegal cattle trade from Assam. �Cattle smuggling has been on for decades but it�s only now that tough action is being initiated,� he said.
