ISI also gets a cut of cattle smuggling money

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: In a development that has implications for national security, it has come to light that a portion of the money generated via trans-border smuggling of cattle finds its way not only to fundamentalist organizations, but to the notorious Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan.

According to police sources, the operation involves smuggling of cattle from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal and Assam to Bangladesh via Meghalaya.

The sources said that the ISI and fundamentalist organizations get a sizeable share of the proceeds of the illegal cattle trade and they use the money for anti-India activities. The inter-state and international part of the financial transactions is carried out via hawala transactions in the form of hundis and gold.

Moreover, the sources said that certain extremist organizations of the State and Meghalaya also get a cut of the funds generated via cattle smuggling.

According to the sources, the whole thing came to light during investigation of a cattle smuggling case under the Gossaingaon Police Station (No. 23/2022 U/S-279/353/307/289/379/411 IPC & r/w sec-11(a)(d)(e)(h) of PCA Act, r/w section 17/18/39/40 of UA (P) Act). Investigations into the case led to the arrest of two persons, Akbar Banjara and Salman Banjara, from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh recently. They arrested duo then revealed the pattern of sharing of spoils from the cattle smuggling racket to the police.

The sources added that the arrested duo was, however, killed in an ambush by suspected extremists near Jamduar on April 19 when they were being taken in a police vehicle to identify transit routes along the river Sankosh. Four police personnel also sustained injuries and the police vehicle was damaged during the ambush, the sources informed.

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