Bangladeshi cattle smuggler shot dead by BSF in Assam, say police

A suspected Bangladeshi national and alleged cattle smuggler was shot dead in an encounter with the Border Security Force in India-Bangladesh border in southern Assam’s Karimganj district on Saturday, police officials said.

Manabendra Deb Ray, the Superintendent of Police, Karimganj said the incident happened when more than 30 Bangladeshis tried to enter India.

“As per the version of the BSF, 30-40 Bangladeshis suspected to be cattle smugglers tried to enter. There was a confrontation and one person died on the spot after being hit with pellets from a pump-action gun,” Ray said.

The district police chief said while they are not confirmed about the identity they have been informally told that it is one Abdul Rouf from Moulvibazar in Sylhet.

Debojit Nath, the Additional Superintendent of Police, Karimganj said, “Border Guards Bangladesh have informally conveyed about a missing person. No official communication has been received yet.” Nath said the suspected cattle smuggler was hit on the chest.

According to a senior BSF official from the area, the security forces had an intelligence input that cattle smugglers may try to infiltrate.

“A team was positioned on the other side of the border fence (there is a distance of 150 metres between the border fence and international border). At around 1 am, a group of more than 30 cattle smugglers approached and when they noticed BSF one of them threw a dao (machete). In return, our men fired one round from pump action gun,” the BSF official said. He added that the group fled after the skirmish. Later, when the BSF team went to search the area, they found a dead body.

“Pellets from the pump-action gun can be fatal from close range,” this official said adding the body was found 20 metres from the fence in Indian territory.

Only one cow was seized by the BSF in the encounter, the official said.