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The father of the two Meerut-based alleged cattle smugglers – Akbar Banjara and Salman – who were killed in an "ambush by extremists" in Assam's Kokrajhar district on Monday, 18 April, while in police custody, has alleged that his sons were "innocent" and died due to police conspiracy.
The deceased, Akbar Banjara and Salman, were arrested on 13 April by the Meerut Police. Residents of the Falawada area in Meerut, the duo had cases of cattle smuggling registered in both Meerut and Kokrajhar.
On alert, a contingent of Assam Police came down to Meerut and took them in custody after serving a warrant.
Assam Police had also announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for Akbar's arrest. The reward money was handed over to Meerut police by their Assam counterparts, UP police had informed in a tweet on 15 April. They were produced before a magistrate in Assam's Kokrajhar and put behind bars.
Banjara further said that it was a conspiracy by the police to trap his sons and kill them, adding that they weren't doing anything illegal. The extortion case in which Meerut police had arrested them was also fictitious, he added.
The police said that the attack happened around 1.15 am on Monday when the smugglers were being taken to the Jamduar area of the district for identification of smuggling routes along the Sankosh river.
According to the police, the vehicle carrying the duo "came under the ambush of extremists near Jamduar," following which the personnel jumped out of the car to take a position in nearby spots to fire back at the "extremists." However, the arrested accused failed to get out of the car and sustained bullet injuries.
After taking cover, the police personnel retaliated, and the firing between the two sides lasted for 10-12 minutes.
One AK-47 rifle, two magazines, 35 rounds of live ammunition, and 28 rounds of empty bullet shells were recovered from the site.
According to the police, the duo divulged that fundamentalist militant organisations based in Bangladesh, as well as Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, were involved in this racket, and the money from this trade was being used for anti-India activities.
Some of the money, the police said, was being used for terror funding and also found its way to extremist organisations of Assam and Meghalaya.
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