The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday busted a cattle smuggling network with terror links in a State-wide raid at 15 places including Kolkata, sources said. Surprisingly the CBI investigations reached the doors of some Border Security Forces officers who along with their counterparts in the Customs department facilitated the cattle smuggling the proceeds from which found its way to trans-border terror funding and arms market.
The CBI action comes about week after the National Investigation Agency busted an Al Qaeda network operating from Murshidabad district bordering Bangladesh.
The CBI conducted raids at senior BSF official S Kumar’s residence and sealed it after six-hour search operations, sources said adding he was in touch with one Enamul Haq who has been identified as the mastermind of the whole operations, Md Ghulam Mustafa, Enamul Sheikh and others. It is the second time that Haq’s name appears in an FIR. A big fish in illegal cattle trade he paid bribes to BSF and customs officials,” said sources.
The proceeds from the cow smuggling were used to purchase arms, gold and other items for the Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh or JMB the terror outfit whose network was busted in 2014 following the Khagragarh blasts in Burdwan district. JMB has been involved in conducting subversive activities in the neighbouring country. A team of 110 CBI sleuths conducted raids at various places including Salt Lake, Topsia and other places in Kolkata for about eight hours sources said adding the accused had discovered a unique way of functioning without raising eyebrows. The CBI sources said some senior customs officials were also in their radar.
“Suppose they would capture 50 cows … they would then hand over the seized cattle to the Customs Department which then would call tenders to dispose the animals off…. However while doing so they would sell away 500 in place of 50 cattle and those like Enamul would purchase them with legal documents before … the proceeds from the sale would then go to purchase arms, gold and currency of various countries for the JMB,” sources said adding investigation was on to find out whether the network had links with other organisations or not.
The CBI had arrested another BSF commandant Jibu T Mathew two years ago and seized Rs 47 lakh from him which was allegedly paid as a bribe by Enamul Haque.
Meanwhile, in a related development the NIA sources said that Abu Sufiyan the alleged Qaeda mole arrested from Raninagar in Murshidabad had set up a lathe machine in his house from where he had manufactured rocket launchers and even bullet proof jackets. Earlier the NIA had discovered a secret chamber in his house which was allegedly used to store weapons.
Elsewhere Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh has written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleging State Government’s complacency in allowing the law and order to deteriorate. Ghosh has alleged that the Trinamool Congress Government was not taking note of the illegal arms and cattle trade to facilitate its vote bank politics.
