BSF shoots cattle thief

MALDA, July 19: Sheikh, an alleged cattle smuggler from India, was shot dead by Border Security Force personnel at Chorianantapur in Malda’s Baishnabnagar police station area early this morning, the Malda SP, Mr DK Mondal, said. Quoting BSF officials, the SP, said: “Sheikh was trying to cut the barbed wire fencing to smuggle cattle to Bangladesh. The BSF had to open fire to stop him.”Meanwhile, local political leaders and villagers have claimed that Sheikh was “innocent.” The police have sent Sheikh’s body for postmortem to a local hospital. In another incident, the BSF jawans intercepted eight persons, including six Bangladeshi nationals, at Jagajibanpur in Malda’s Habibpur police station area and handed them over to the police.Police arrested the eight persons. “The six Bangladeshi nationals had entered the Indian territory in connivance with two Indians to steal cattle. The Bangladeshis have been charged with entering the country without documents,” Mr Mondal added. n SNS