The BSF seized over 50 buffaloes from a container truck in Jalpaiguri district early Wednesday morning and apprehended four persons for allegedly transporting the animals without valid documents.

Sources said a team of the BSF's 40th battalion intercepted the truck on NH27 at Gourihat, on the outskirts of Jalpaiguri town.

The BSF team searched the truck that bore the Bihar registration number and found 53 buffaloes.

The BSF asked the driver for documents to validate the transportation of the cattle but he failed to produce them.

The driver and the cleaner escaped, but the BSF found four persons in the container to take care of the cattle.

The border force caught Md Alek Hossain and Rabikul Islam of Dhubri district in Assam, Ibrahim Ali from Kokrajhar in Assam and Saddam aka Asjad Raza from Katihar in Bihar.

Later, the truck, the cattle and the quartet were handed over to Kotwali police in Jalpaiguri.

“The buffaloes were supposed to be smuggled into Bangladesh. A few days ago (on May 10), 39 buffaloes were seized from a truck by the BSF at Fulbari, on the outskirts of Siliguri,” said a source.

Firearm seized

Manik Roy, a resident of Atiabari at Dinhata in Cooch Behar district, was arrested on Tuesday night.

A pistol, seven rounds of live cartridges and a magazine have been recovered from him by police.