The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today conducted raids at several locations in West Bengal including two Kolkata residences of Trinamool Youth Congress General Secretary Vinay Mishra. The raids were conducted in connection with a cattle smuggling case. The CBI had issued a Look Out circular against Mishra in relation to the case to prevent him from leaving the country.
CBI issues Look Out Circular against TMC leader Vinay Mishra in connection with cattle smuggling case: officials
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 31, 2020
A preliminary enquiry conducted by the CBI revealed that the menace of cattle smuggling was rampant along the India-Bangladesh border. The smuggling is allegedly aided by some corrupt officers of the BSF and Customs department receiving illegal gratification from smugglers.
On Thursday morning, a team of at least ten CBI officials reached two locations in Lake Town and Rashbehari in Kolkata after procuring a search warrant from a court.
It is pertinent to mention here that Vinay Mishra is considered close to Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, Abhisek Banerjee, and is the general secretary of Trinamool youth Congress. It is also being reported that his name has come up several times in the course of the CBI investigation.
Raids conducted at several locations this year
Last month, the CBI had arrested Enamul Haque the alleged kingpin named of a cattle smuggling racket being run along the India-Bangladesh border. Haque, who is from West Bengal, was arrested by the agency in Delhi.
A BSF personnel was also arrested along with Haque. In September this year, the CBI had conducted raids at several locations in Kolkata and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal in order to expose the nexus facilitating cross-border cattle smuggling. Several locations in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, Amritsar, and Raipur were also raided. CBI booked one Satish Kumar, the former Commandant of the 36 BSF Battalion, along with three others— Inamul Haq, Anarul Sheikh and Mohammed Golam Mustafa—in the illegal cattle trade case.
Smugglers adopt cruel methods to smuggle cattle
In June this year, the BSF had exposed the cruel method adopted by cattle smugglers to smuggles calves across the India-Bangladesh border. The smugglers tie up live calf inside a carcass and they also tie socket bombs to the necks of the cattle so that security personnel get injured if they catch them.
