Smugglers hurl bombs near Indo-Bangladesh border, BSF man loses hand

According to a BSF officer, a group of cattle smugglers had entered 200 metres inside the Indian side to smuggle cattle into Bangladesh.

“The smugglers were equipped with sharp weapons and bombs. Rehman fired from his non-lethal gun and they attacked him with two bombs. He suffered pellet injuries to his legs, lungs and stomach due to the impact of bombs. They then hurled another bomb which directly hit his right hand,” said a BSF officer.

The jawan suffered grievous injuries and he fell unconscious. Reinforcement troops controlled the situation. The smugglers, however, escaped to the other side taking advantage of darkness and tall grass.

“The BSF has directed all its formations in the south Bengal frontier area to adopt an aggressive posture against trans-border criminals and thwart their sinister designs. Such attacks on BSF troops are taking place quite often,” read a BSF statement.

A smuggler is also suspected to have been injured in the firing by the jawan, a senior official told PTI.

On Wednesday, the border guarding force had repulsed an attack by about 200 Bangladeshi cattle smugglers and seized 107 buffaloes along the Indo-Bangla border in Murshidabad district of the state.