Kolkata, March 26: Seventeen Indian nationals have been apprehended after the Border Security Force (BSF) on Friday intercepted four big goods trucks that were allegedly smuggling 130 cattle along the India-Bangladesh International Border in West Bengal, officials said.
A BSF spokesperson for the south Bengal frontier of the force based here said the ten-wheeled trucks were intercepted by their special intelligence team just before midnight at National Highway-34 in Malda district. The area is guarded by the 44th battalion of the force and the International Border is about 5 kms from the spot, they said.
A total of 130 buffaloes cramped inside these vehicles were recovered and 17 men including drivers and helpers of the trucks have been apprehended, the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said the cattle were packed like sardines and the troops untied them, offloaded them from the trucks and provided them fodder and water, he said.
They said the drivers, helpers and other occupants of the trucks have been handed over to the local police which was involved in the operation. The spokesperson said the drivers and helpers informed the BSF patrol that the animals were picked from Purulia and Asansol districts and were supposed to be offloaded at Islampur area in Kishanganj. - PTI
