Smuggled Indian cattle flood Lalmonirhat markets

Indian cattle smuggled from India have flooded local markets in the district while border guards claim that no cattle have been smuggled from India during the last three months.

The customs authority is not collecting revenue through corridor slip (token given to the people who bring the cattle from across the border) as Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has stopped giving token for collecting revenue from smuggled Indian cattle for the last three months, said Shamsul Ferdous, customs inspector of Islampur Corridor at Patgarm upazila.

Earlier, customs collected Tk 1.5 crore on average from 30 thousand cattle every month, but has been deprived of this revenue for the last three months, he added.

Cattle smuggling from India has decreased at least by 50 percent as BGB does not give corridor slip, said cattle trader Mozharul Islam, 45, of Dahagram village, adding that some members of the syndicate are still smuggling cattle.

Komiz Uddin, 48, an alleged lineman to BGB at Sreerampur village, said Patgram market is the district's biggest cattle market.

Uzir Islam, 36, of Durgapur village in Aditmari upazila, said a lineman to BGB gets Tk 400 per cattle for bringing them across the border. As smugglers pay bribe to BGB's lineman, they never face any obstacle on the the way, he added.

Smuggled Indian cattle are being sold openly at cattle markets in Nayarahat, Durakuti Haat in Lalmonirhat Sadar, Chaparhat in Kaliganj upazila, Doikhowa Haat, Barakhata Haat in Hatibandha upazila and Patgram Hat in Patgram upazila.

Commanding Officer of Lalmonirhat BGB 15 Battalion Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Bazlur Rahman Hayati said the paramilitary force stopped smuggling of Indian cattle in order to reduce border killing. BGB men are always vigilant along the border, so there is no scope for smuggling, he added

BGB 15 Battalion Durgapur Camp Commander Havildar Saiful Islam said they have been seizing smuggled Indian cattle and selling them in open auction through customs authorities.