KOLKATA, Dec 24: Five Bangladeshis have been killed after being caught in the crossfire of a shoot-out between Indian and Bangladeshi border troops, police and border officials said on Sunday.

Two people were killed when Indian guards tried to prevent seven Bangladeshis from crossing the border with their cattle in West Bengal state on Saturday, India's Border Security Force said.

Another three Bangladeshis were killed in a separate shoot-out on Saturday, Border Security Force inspector general Somesh Goyal said.

“The bodies of two Bangladeshis are still lying unclaimed on the Indian side,” the official said. Indian police also seized 17 cows.

Soldiers from the two countries often exchange gunfire along their 4,095-kilometer border.

India says Bangladesh pushes illegal migrants through the border and harbours militants fighting Indian rule in its northeast. Dhaka says New Delhi allows Bangladeshi criminals to take refuge on its soil.—AFP