ACC seizes 6 banned Brahman cattle from Sadeeq Agro

The Anti-Corruption Commission, or ACC, has seized six banned Brahma cattle at Sadeeq Agro's farm in Mohammadpur.

The operation was led by ACC Assistant Director Abul Kalam Azad on Wednesday in the presence of Dhaka District Livestock Officer Basona Akter.

ACC Deputy Director and Public Relations Officer Md Aktarul Islam said the seized cattle were handed over to the Department of Livestock Services.

In July 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions, 18 banned Brahma cattle arrived at Shahjalal International Airport via Turkish Airlines, imported by Sadeeq Agro under the guise of Sahiwal cattle from the United States.

Sadeeq Agro had submitted a No Objection Certificate, or NOC, for cattle import, a letter from the Animal Quarantine Department, and a cattle import permit from the US.

Each of these documents was identified as forged by customs officials.

At that time, Sadeeq Agro's owner, Imran Hossain, failed to present valid import documents.

According to ACC sources, the seized cattle were initially kept at the Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm for care.

In April, during the month of Ramadan, Imran took responsibility for slaughtering and selling the cattle under specific conditions.

However, complaints emerged about similar cattle being sold by Sadeeq Agro during Eid-ul-Azha.

Therefore, an investigation is ongoing to verify whether the Brahma cattle were slaughtered or displayed and sold.

An ACC team visited the customs house at Shahjalal airport to seize documents related to the imported cattle on Tuesday.

New information from the document review led to another raid on Sadeeq Agro's Mohammadpur farm.

Earlier on Monday, the ACC conducted special operations at Sadeeq Agro in Keraniganj and the Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm in Savar.

ACC enforcement unit found evidence of importing banned Brahma cattle and prohibited breeding drugs by Sadeeq Agro.