New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday filed a charge sheet against seven persons, including then BSF Commandant Satish Kumar in connection with a cross-border cattle smuggling case.

A CBI official said here that others named included Mohammad Enamul Haque, Anarul Seikh, Mohammad Golam Mustafa, Taniya Sanyal, Badal Krishna Sanyal, and Rashida Bibi. The charge sheet was filed in a special court in West Bengal's Asansol.

The official said that evidence was found during CBI investigation on the illegal cross-border sale of cattle, delivery and use of ill-gotten money.

The official said that Haque was the organiser of this illegal trade and was assisted by two co-accused in alleged connivance with the then Commandant of 36 Battalion of of the Border Security Force (BSF) deployed at Murshidabad and Malda.

The CBI alleged that three other accused assisted and showed fictitious business activities to adjust the ill-gotten money.

The CBI registered the case on September 21 last year against four persons, including some Border Security Force and Customs officers, who were allegedly bribed by international cattle smugglers.

The CBI had carried out searches at 34 locations across the country and arrested Kumar and Haque last year. Haque is currently in judicial custody.

According to the CBI FIR, cattle were taken from India to Bangladesh after paying illegal gratification to BSF personnel manning the international border.

Kumar, during his posting in West Bengal between December 2015 and April 2017, allegedly seized over 20,000 cows before they could be transported to Bangladesh, but the vehicles involved were not seized, the FIR alleged.