The ‘pilot’ system in cattle smuggling

The person who coordinates smuggling along the border is called the ‘pilot’. These pilots have been the driving force behind smuggling business through the Rowmari border for a long time. However, the ‘pilot system’ was secret until Rowmari upazila Awami League leader Zakir Hossain became a lawmaker from the Kurigram-4 constituency in 2008. These ‘pilots’ act as coordinators between the smugglers and the police.

Speaking to the residents of Rowmari, local public representatives and several ruling party leaders, it has been learnt that former state minister for primary and mass education Zakir Hossain used to appoint the pilots for areas under a police station for a decade. Now, the local Awami League MP Biplob Hasan has been accused of doing the same.

Former state minister Zakir Hossain is also the president of Rowmari upazila Awami League. Speaking to Prothom Alo, he accused Rowmari police station officer-in-charge (OC) Abdul Hil Zaman of being involved in cattle and drug smuggling. He openly spoke against the police in this regard in a discussion on law and order organised by the upazila administration on 22 June.

There are three groups – one controlled by the former state minister, one by the incumbent MP and one controlled by the local OC- over the control of cattle smuggling business in Kurigram. Already there have been several incidents of carrying out attacks over the disputes between the two political factions involved in smuggling.

The Rowmari upazila border the Assam state of and Meghalaya of India. The border between India and Rowmari stretches for 38 kilometres. The locals say cattle and drugs are being smuggled through 19 points in the Dantbhanga, Shoulmari, Rowmari Sadar and Zadurchar areas along the border.

This correspondent visited the Dharmapur, Chhatkoraibari, Char Gaytapara border areas on 1 and 2 July and spoke to five cattle smugglers. They mainly work as the workers of the cattle smugglers. Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said they use bamboo-made levers to pass the cows over the barbed wire fence of the border. They mainly smuggle cattle from India to Bangladesh.

According to these five smugglers, a total of 315 cows were smuggled into Bangladesh through the Dantbhanga border on 1 July. Usually cows are smuggled the most during the nights with heavy rains or extreme cold, they said. Besides, cows are also smuggled through the waterways at the Shaheber Alga point.

This correspondent found information of 56 active groups from Italukanda in Dantbhanga to Khatiamari in Rowmari Sadar, which are involved in cow smuggling using bamboo-made levers.

Each group has 20-25 members. A worker gets Tk 7,000-8,000 for smuggling every pair of cows. People usually get involved in this risky business due to poverty or out of greed for extra income. Locals, public representatives and three former pilots disclosed this information.

It has been learnt that there are more than 100 cattle smugglers in the area. They keep in touch with the Indian smugglers over the phone for cattle smuggling.

It was found in Prothom Alo’s investigation that at least 20 Bangladeshis were shot dead by the Border Security Force (BSF) of India along the Rowmari border alone in the last eight years while smuggling. At least 48 persons sustained injuries in these incidents, according to locals and families of the victims. However, the number of casualties is only five in the last four years according to the Rowmari police station.

According to several persons relevant to police stations or involved in smuggling, the pilots collect Tk 600 for each pair of cows to bribe the police.

Two former pilots of the Dantbhanga and Shoulmari route told Prothom Alo that they had to pay ‘a commission’ to the police station on a monthly basis or on the basis of the number of the cows to be smuggled. The pilots also collect money for other smuggling businesses, including sugar and sarees (clothes).

According to locals and the police, Amir Hamza of Dantbhanga, Karim Shahid, Abdul Aziz and Chhokku Mia of Shoulmari and Golam Hossain were the pilots in the areas under the Rowmari police station when Zakir Hossain was a state minister. These persons hold posts in different local units of the Awami League.

However, they were ousted from the smuggling ring as Zakir Hossain failed to secure Awami League’s nomination during the 12th national polls. Zakir Hossain claimed to have created scopes for some Awami League activists like Amir Hamza.

The police and locals told Prothom Alo that upazila Swechcchasebak League joint general secretary Latif Ul Hasan alias Lalon is serving as the pilot in the Dantbhanga union.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Dantbhanga union Awami League vice-president Ashraful Islam said, “Lalon is known in the area as the main associate of local lawmaker Biplob Hasan. He controls the smuggling business in the upazila.”

However, Lalon refuted the claim. Apart from him, Jahurul Haque has been given the charge of pilot at the Charer Gram and Kauar Char point, Rafiqul Islam at the Behular Char and Naodapara points and Mister and Md Shahid have been given the charge of pilot at the Jhaubari point. They all are known to be close associates of the incumbent local MP.

Asked about the allegations, MP Biplob Hasan said he thought the representatives (pilots) of the police stations work to prevent smuggling. This is why he asked several people to be the representatives. He later found that was not the case and asked the police to remove Lalon from the ‘post’ of pilot last month.

The local lawmaker told Prothom Alo that the person named Mister was his friend, but he was not a pilot. Besides, Jahurul is not his associate, he claimed.

Former state minister Zakir Hossain claimed cattle and drugs were being smuggled into the country openly. Despite that, there is no action from the police to prevent this.

He alleged that Rowmari OC Abdullah Hil Zaman himself contacts the smugglers. He said, “The new OC raised the rate (bribe for every cow to be smuggled) as compared to the rate of previous OC.”

Abdullah Hil Zaman, however, gave two types of statements regarding smuggling. At first he said, “I stopped smuggling after taking charge here.”

He later said, “The pilot system is a new setup. It started some 10-15 days after the national election.”

The OC claimed that the police station doesn’t receive any money through the pilots. Asked who raised the rate, he said, “I can’t say that. I have some obligations.”

Rakib Hasan of the Kawnia Char in the Dantbhanga union served as the pilot of the police station from January to March this year. Rakib paid the OC on a monthly basis as per the agreement with the police official.

Rakib admitted to the allegation of bribing the police while speaking to this correspondent, who didn’t disclose his journalist identity during the conversation.

However, he refused to disclose the amount of bribe saying, “I won’t be able to enter the police station in the future, if I disclose it.”

Meanwhile, OC Abdullah Hil Zaman claimed Rakib served as the pilot of the police station for a month before the national election. However, he refuted the allegation of taking bribes from him.

Asked about the allegation of OC being involved with the smuggler through the pilots, Kurigram superintendent of police (SP) Al Asad Md Mahfuzul Islam told Prothom Alo, “Actions will be taken if we find evidence supporting the allegation.”

As an upazila bordering India, Rowmari has always been a route for drug smuggling. Rowmari was mentioned as the new entry point for yaba smuggling in a report published by the police and the intelligence. The drug smuggling rings have made India’s Mizoram, Meghalaya and Assam a new route to smuggle the consignments of yaba through the Rowmari border.

Visiting the border areas, it has been learnt that large consignments of yaba are being smuggled into the country using this new route on a regular basis. However, the smugglers evade in most cases. Rather, there are allegations against the police of misappropriating seized drugs and leaking information about anti-drug drives.

According to the locals, police arrested ‘yaba dealer’ Dhulu Mia and three others from Kortimari of Rowmari upazila on 2 March. According to a source, police seized at least 70,000 pieces of yaba in seven cartons. However, only 165 pieces of yaba were recovered that day as per the official seizure list of the police.

Meanwhile, there are allegations that Kortimari-based drug dealer Nurunnabi Mia was informed before police raided his house. MP Biplob Hasan also admitted that information about potential police drives was leaked before the police raided the houses of Nurunnabi and another drug dealer of Ratanpur.

But OC Abdullah Hil Zaman claimed he was out of Rowmari during both incidents. Therefore, he has no idea about the allegations.

According to the local sources and the police, an intelligence agency sent a report to the Prime Minister’s Office mentioning former state minister Zakir Hossain as a patron of drug smuggling in 2018. Besides, on 14 September 2020, Zakir Hossain’s personal driver Rafiqul Islam was arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) with yabas from a microbus with a sticker of a member of the parliament.

Zakir Hossain, however, denied the allegation of being involved in drug smuggling. He said, “I have zero tolerance regarding drugs related issues. They nevertheless call me a drug smuggler. They say I am the godfather of drug smuggling in the area.”

The locals alleged that upazila Awami League youth and sports affair secretary Afzal Hossain lobbies at the police station on behalf of the smugglers.

However, Afzal claims he is not involved in any illegal activities.

This correspondent went to Rowmari on 28 June. He saw people having drugs openly at different points of the upazila. On 1 July, this correspondent saw three empty bottles of Indian liqueur in front of a shop near the police station.

Seeing those bottles, a local trader said, “Empty bottles of alcohol are laying in front of the police station. Now you assume the situation in Rowmari.”

Speaking to Prothom Alo, president of ‘Muktanchal’, a cultural and social welfare organisation, Md Aktaruzzaman said the patronisers of drug smugglers are sheltered by the local political leaders.

He said, “The youth, in particular, are getting involved in different criminal activities due to the impacts of drugs. To prevent this, laws should be implemented strictly and political patronisation of drug smuggling must stop.”

*This report appeared on the print and online versions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu