Telangana, AP Havens For Cattle Smugglers

Hyderabad: Cattle smugglers find Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to be safe places to transport cattle to distant Bangladesh, especially after the beef ban imposed by Telangana neighbouring states Maharashtra. The cattle smugglers route is through West Bengal to Bangladesh where the buying price of a bull could fetch as much as Rs 2 lakh, compared to Rs 75,000 here in the local market.

According to sources, the smugglers have devised and ingenious way of smuggling cattle across two or three states by transporting them in specially built containers with concealed compartments for the animals. Following the steep fall in the price of cattle and the attendant risks after the ban, smugglers formed syndicates, sources say, cattle are transported in these vehicles. Apparently, bulls are the preferred choice mainly because of the money they fetch for skin and horns in addition to meat.

How the animals find their way to Bangladesh without being intercepted by the police anywhere en route is something of the mystery. Sources claim that the cattle mafia in all the states enjoys political patronage which ensures the safe passage of animals illegally.