Police chase smugglers on boat, rescue 97 cattle heads in Assam

During the operation that lasted a few hours in the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, the smugglers dropped a few cattle heads in the river but the animals were rescued, Bhuyan said. "Our team chased four boats carrying cattle suspected to be meant for smuggling on the Brahmaputra under testing conditions in the bordering areas of Dhubri and South Salmara Mankacher district" and reached close to them near a sandbar, he said.

The police rescued 97 cattle heads from suspected smugglers during a night-long chase in boats on the Brahmaputra river in Dhubri district of Assam. The smugglers, one of whom was injured in police firing, abandoned two motorised boats and fled, said Deputy Superintendent of Police (Head Quarters) Trinayan Bhuyan, who led the operation.

These two boats carrying cattle heads were seized. During the operation that lasted a few hours in the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, the smugglers dropped a few cattle heads in the river but the animals were rescued, Bhuyan said.

"Our team chased four boats carrying cattle suspected to be meant for smuggling on the Brahmaputra under testing conditions in the bordering areas of Dhubri and South Salmara Mankacher district" and reached close to them near a sandbar, he said. The police fired four rounds in an attempt to stop the fleeing boats and the suspected smugglers jumped into the river from two boats and fled in the dark of night, the DSP said.

It seems that the territory was familiar to them, he said adding that the two other boats sped away. Later, the police got information that one of the suspected smugglers was admitted to a hospital with bullet injuries in South Salmara Mankachar district. However, he was yet to be arrested.

Dhubri district police seized over 300 cattle heads worth over Rs 3 crore from various villages in the past one week. Superintendent of Police Ananda Mishra has constituted a Special Investigation Team that has been conducting raids in different locations, including riverine areas, identified as the route for cattle snuggling, sources said.

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