Cattle were never smuggled in!

India does not export cattle to Bangladesh, yet thousands of them have been making their way into Bangladesh through different recognised corridors.

However, there is no official record of smuggling. Rather, Indian cattle can be accused of trespassing!

In most cases, the stories seem to be identical: Indian cattle enter Bangladesh as if by mistake. Traders on this side of the border gather those stray animals and pay a "fine" to Bangladesh authorities to get a "pass" for taking them elsewhere in the country.

According to data of Bangladesh customs, a total of 21,06,157 cattle, including cow, buffalo and goat, entered the country through different recognised corridors in fiscal 2013-14.

And Bangladesh authorities, through the customs offices in Rajshahi, Chittagong, Khulna, Jessore, Rangpur and Sylhet, collected Tk 10.53 crore in "fine" on those animals.

As per the government-fixed rate, the "fine" on camels, horses and donkeys is Tk 6,000 each, while it's Tk 500 each for cows and buffaloes and Tk 200 each for goats and sheep.

Talking to The Daily Star, Tariqul Islam, a cattle trader from Chapainawabganj, said the flow of cattle from India dropped significantly due to Delhi's recent move to stop cattle smuggling.

"Only 1,700 cattle were brought yesterday [August 5]. The number would have been much higher if there were no restrictions," said Tariqul.

Mostly, cattle from Murshidabad enter Chapainawabganj through two corridors -- one in Shibganj upazila and the other in Bholahat upazila.

"Once the cattle cross the river, traders bring them to a certain cattle shed, pay the authorities a fine and get a pass to transport them elsewhere from the border," said Tariqul.

Another cattle trader from Navaron in Jessore said there are people who receive cattle from the Indian side, bring them to Bangladesh territory and directly take them to the cattle shed called "Khatal".

"One can take out cattle from the Khatal only after paying the fine," he said, asking not to be named.

Previously, cattle traders used to pay Tk 700 per cow to the persons who brought them into Bangladesh from the Indian side. However, the rate has now increased to Tk 1,000 per cow after the Indian authorities imposed the restriction, he added.

Asked what happens if someone fails to pay the "fine", he said, "In that case, law enforcers seize those cattle and sell them at auction."

Our correspondents from Chapainawabganj and Benapole contributed to this report.