Indian border guard seizes bodies of 2 Bangladeshi 'cattle smugglers'

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - The bodies of two Bangladeshi nationals have been kept by Indian border guards after they were shot dead, Bangladeshi police said.

The deceased were trying to cross illegally into India from the country's northern Tetulia border, Arman Ali, a police officer at the border district, told Anadolu by phone.

No case was filed as the incident occurred in India's territory, he added.

The victims, age 23 and 24, were smuggling cattle from India where the slaughter of cows is banned, police said.

Lt. Col. Zubayed Hasan of Bangladesh's border guard told reporters that a top level meeting was held following the incident and the country will officially lodge a protest.

India has not yet released an official statement on the incident.

The two South Asian countries share a 4,096-kilometer (2,545-mile) international border, the fifth-longest land border in the world.

Until April of this year, the Indian side has killed nine Bangladeshis and injured seven others, said Ain-o-Salish Kendra, a Bangladeshi non-profit keeping a tally of the cross-border skirmishes.

Indian forces have killed over 1,200 Bangladeshis along the border in the last two decades, according to ​​​​​​​Odhikar, a human rights organization in Bangladesh.