New Delhi, Oct. 9: The Border Security Force (BSF) may have got a pat from the Union home minister for putting a check on cattle smuggling across the Bangladesh border, but the challenge is far from over.

With vigil stepped up in the Northeast, the Bangladeshi cattle “mafia” are now targeting north Bengal, especially Cooch Behar.

The BSF has alleged that the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) is encouraging the movement of cattle through Bengal, something it used to do in the Northeast earlier.

On September 3, a group of Bangladeshis was caught trying to smuggle around 150 animals from Cooch Behar into their country through the Teen Bigha corridor — a strip that India has let Bangladesh use since 1974 to help people living in enclaves.

After the smuggling attempt was foiled, the BSF and BDR battalion commandants there held a flag meeting.

Sources said the BDR brass conceded that illegal activities were on and promised action. But they sprang a surprise only days later.

On September 8, the commandant of the 50 Battalion of the BSF received protest notes from his counterpart and proclamations of the innocence of those held. “Obviously, they want to let the crime happen,” a BSF officer said.

Dahgram, from where the cattle were allegedly being stolen, is one of the 111 Indian enclaves — Indian territories on the other side of the border. There are 97 Bangladeshi enclaves.

In a detailed account sent to the Union home ministry by the BSF headquarters here, the incident was cited as an “unusual phenomenon”.

All along the 4,000 km-odd international boundary in the Northeast and Bengal, there are 600 corridors through which cattle are sneaked into Bangladesh.

Indian agencies allege that cattle smuggling is a “Taka 200 crore industry” in the neighbouring country. Bangladeshi customs and security agencies are said to be involved in the trade and a smuggled animal is allegedly “regularised” for Taka 500.