Cattle smuggling: CBI carries out searches against BSF Commandant, three others

File Photo (Twitter/@BSF_India)

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday (September 23, 2020) carried out searches in connection with a cattle smuggling case involving a Border Security Force (BSF) commandant and three others.

The searches were conducted across 13 locations in Kolkata and Murshidabad in West Bengal, Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Amritsar in Punjab and Raipur in Chhattisgarh in connection with a cattle smuggling case on the Indo-Bangla border.

The CBI had registered a case on September 21, 2020, against the then BSF commandant of 36 Battalion of BSF - Satish Kumar. 

Besides Kumar, three others - Md Enamul Haq, Anarul Sheikh and Mohammed Golam Mustafa were also booked. 

Kumar is now posted in BSF unit at Raipur.

The preliminary enquiry conducted by the CBI revealed that during Kumar’s tenure as Commandant of 36 Battalion in Malda district of West Bengal between December 2015 and April 2017, more than 20,000 cattle were seized during a smuggling bid.

"The cattle were auctioned within 24 hours of being seized and seizure lists were made arbitrarily categorising the breed and size of seized animals with an intention to reduce the upset price of the cattle during auctions. In lieu of that favour, Md Enamul Haque used to pay Rs 2,000 per cattle to BSF officials and Rs 500 to concerned customs officials," the FIR by CBI read.