Assam Police opens fire in Karimganj nead Indo-Bangla border, “Ambush against Bangladeshi cattle smugglers,” DSP

People of Baliya Basti area of Nilambazar in Karimganj district woke up to gunshots in the middle of the night. Located at the India – Bangladesh border, the residents of Baliya Basti were shocked at the sudden escalation. As it turns out, it was an ambush from the Karimganj Police.

DSP GD Sharma informed that the Police had intel about the rise in cattle smugglers in the Nilambazar area. “We have reports of a spike in cattle smuggling in the Nilambazar area. What we could gather is many Bangladeshi residents have crossed the fence and started carrying out illicit activities in this zone.”

He added, “To combat the same, last night we initiated an ambush and managed to trace four smugglers along with two cows. When we confronted them, they started running away abandoning the animals. In order to stop them from escaping, we opened a controlled fire. It was a damp area and coupled with the darkness of the night, they used the situation in their favour and managed to run away.”

The Police officials continued a search operation to trace if there were any injuries or casualties due to the firing. DSP Sharma informed that there were none. “One dao, lungi, rope and other items have been seized from the spot. We are still at ground zero to trace blood marks. We aren’t sure yet if they are hiding wounded in the woods and so, the operation is still going on,” asserted Sharma.

Based on the intel and confrontation, Sharma is of the view that these miscreants smuggling cattle are nationals of Bangladesh. How are they crossing the fence and what are the Border Security Forces of the two friendly neighbours doing is something that remains a question for the Central Government to figure out.