Kolkata: The South Bengal Frontier of the Border Security Force (BSF) has seized nearly 5.9 kg of gold worth more than Rs 4 crore that was being smuggled into India along its border with neighbouring Bangladesh in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal between Tuesday and Wednesday.
This massive seizure is significant as Parliamentary elections are underway and four Lok Sabha constituencies in the state went to the polls on Tuesday.
The first seizure took place around 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday when personnel of the 145 Battalion BSF, deployed at ICP Petrapole, acted on specific information provided by the Intelligence Cell and searched an Indian truck returning after delivering goods to Bangladesh.
A search of the cabin of the truck (WB25E-8484) led to the seizure of 30 gold biscuits in which truck driver Ujjwal Mandal was apprehended.
During questioning, Mandal claimed that he had received the gold from one Monu Sk at Benapole and handed it over to an unknown person at the Bongaon hospital, in return for which Mandal was due to receive Rs 10,500.
On Wednesday morning, the BSF personnel at ICP Petrapole received another alert and started frisking people crossing over from Bangladesh.
Women constables detected some metal substance hidden in the body of a woman following which a thorough search revealed two gold biscuits.
The woman, identified as Dilruba Akhtar of Shariatpur in Dhaka claimed that she was travelling to Kolkata for treatment.
After coming to know about her travel plans, some individual from her neighbourhood offered the woman Rs 10,000 to transport the two gold biscuits to Kolkata.
Meanwhile, personnel of the 5 Battalion BSF, posted at Haridaspur BOP, carried out a special operation based on intelligence inputs and nabbed two bus passengers on their way to Kolkata, who were carrying 18 gold biscuits.
The two were identified as Tapas Roy and Avijit Saha from the North 24 Parganas district.
The duo claimed that they had received the gold from an unknown person near the Kulpur Rice Mill and had been directed to carry them to Kolkata for which they were to receive Rs 100 per biscuit.
The total weight of the gold seized in the three back-to-back raids is 5,839.48 grams and its estimated value is Rs 4,30,66.165.
The smugglers along with the gold have been handed over to the Customs Department, Petrapole.
“Our personnel have performed exceptionally well. I continue to appeal to people living in the border areas to contact BSF’s Seema Sathi helpline number ‘14419’ if they get any information related to gold smuggling. They can also leave a WhatsApp message or voice call on 9903472227. Those providing concrete information will be adequately awarded and their identities will remain secret,” said A.K. Arya, DIG, BSF, and South Bengal Frontier spokesperson.
(IANS)
