Cattle smuggling rises in last 2 years

SHILLONG: Cattle smuggling has increased drastically in the current year and in the last two-and-a-half months, BSF seized 2,151 animals and arrested nine smugglers, including one Bangladeshi, said a press statement of the Border Security Force.
The BSF said in the last two days, the security force deployed at Gopinathkilla in South West Garo Hills has seized 41 animals.
In 2015, BSF seized 2,064 cattle in 261 incidents of smuggling and arrested 20 Indians. The number increased to 3,543 in 2016 and the BSF arrested 33 smugglers, including four Bangladeshis, in the same year.
However, this year, cattle smuggling has surpassed the last two years’ records, said the BSF statement. “Smuggling may further increase with the onset of monsoon as adverse weather also helps in such activities,” said Sh P.K Dubey, Inspector General of BSF Frontier, Meghalaya.