BSF foils cross-border smuggling of fish eggs stuffed inside cattle carcasses in West Bengal

In a shocking incident, a new modus operandi for smuggling fish eggs across the Indo-Bangladesh border unfolded in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district.

On Friday, alert jawans of Border Security Force (BSF) South Bengal Frontier noticed some suspicious movement in the river near Goalpara BOP in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

Jawans spotted two carcasses of cattle floating in the Sadarpara Nala river.

On inspection, the jawans found that two carcasses of cattle were stuffed with several polythene bags containing fish eggs. 

Further examination revealed that each of the cattle was stuffed with six bags containing the fish eggs and was even stitched so that people do not notice it with suspicion.

“BSF jawans of BOP Goalpara seized 12 polythene bags containing fish eggs near Sardarpara Nala. These fish bags were stuffed and stitched inside the stomach of two dead cattle. Prima facie it looked that dead cattle were floating with the tidal flow but when they were checked the contraband items were recovered,” said a senior official of BSF South Bengal Frontier.

Sources say that smugglers use this kind of a modus operandi and drop the carcass in the river and it floats to the Bangladesh border with the tidal wave before the agent on the other side collects it.

“Fish eggs are usually in high demand in Bangladesh with which they prepare delicacies however; smuggling of item is prohibited on the border. The average worth of the seizure is Rs 48,000 on the Indian side, when it reaches the Bangladeshi territory it is sold three times than the actual cost in India,” said a senior BSF official.