Alert local residents helped police arrest an alleged Bangladeshi cattle smuggler near an unfenced stretch of the India-Bangladesh border in Malda district on Saturday.
Cops said the arrest was made in the Habibpur police station area, which shares a largely unfenced international border with Bangladesh and is vulnerable to cattle smuggling, especially during foggy winter.
According to police, residents of Tilasan under Dhumpur gram panchayat, around 20km from Malda town, noticed a man loitering close to the international border and informed Habibpur police. Acting on the tip-off, police nabbed Md Rubel Sheikh, in his mid-30s.
During interrogation, the accused admitted that he had illegally entered India from Shibganj area of Chapai Nawabganj district in Bangladesh.
Police officers praised the vigilance of residents and their restraint in handing over Rubel to cops without resorting to violence.
Border Security Force (BSF) sources said a gang of six had infiltrated Indian territory with the intention of stealing cattle and smuggling them into Bangladesh. “When on-duty jawans chased the smugglers, the gang dispersed. One entered a nearby locality and was detained by residents,” a BSF source said.