A cattle smuggler was shot dead by BSF troops along the Indo-Bangla international border at Mankachar in Assam’s South Salmara district in the wee hours on Friday.
Police sources said the cattle smuggler has been identified as Asharaful Houqe, 23, from Kanaimara dipchar village under Mankachar police station.
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The incident occurred when a group of suspected cattle smugglers tried to smuggle cattle to the neighbouring country through the fenced wire near the Kanaichar border outpost but the troops of BSF personnel on duty had challenged them.
“A group of people breached Indo-Bangla fence in the early hours this morning to smuggle cattle. When the BSF personnel on duty challenged them, the smugglers attacked them with sharp weapons. The BSF personnel had to open fire resulting in the death of one smuggler on the spot,” said a BSF official.
He said other members of the group managed to flee under the cover of darkness.
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South Salmara SP Kankan Jyoti Saikia said further investigation into the matter is on.
The BSF also seized seven cattle along with other materials suspect to be used for cutting the fencing wire from the spot.
The body of the deceased has been handed over to the family members following the post-mortem at Dhubri Civil Hospital, police added.
In a similar attack in May this year by a group of cattle smugglers, a BSF jawan, P Balachand Patil, was seriously injured.
Later, police had arrested three cattle smugglers in connection with the incident.
Although, the police have managed to arrest a number of cattle smugglers during the last couple of months, cattle smuggling through this porous border is still continuing.