Huge gold haul on India-Bangladesh border

In a major breakthrough, Border Security Force (BSF) has seized gold biscuits worth Rs 33 million and fake Indian bank notes (FICN) worth Rs 1.29 million from along the India-Bangladesh border during the last 24 hours.

New Delhi Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 3 Sept 2014, 01:21 PM
Updated : 3 Sept 2014, 01:21 PM

Two persons were also apprehended in this connection.

Giving this information to bdnews24.com, a senior BSF official said that troops of 40 Battalion stationed at Kalyani border out post (BOP) in Nadia district seized the huge consignment of gold biscuits weighing nearly 13.3 kg and valued at 33 million Indian rupees.

“We got specific information regarding the smuggling of gold from Bangladesh to India,” said the official.

The BSF patrol party tried to intercept a motor cycle on the Kalyani-Haridaspur road.

But as the troops approached, the rider of the motorcycle fled away living behind the bike bearing registration number WV-26J030307.

After a thorough search, 115 gold biscuits were recovered below the seat cover of the motor cycle.

“The approximate weight of gold biscuits is 13.3 Kg and market value is approximately Rs 3.3 crores,” the official said.

Recovered gold was handed over to local custom authority at Petrapole.

Interestingly, the BSF troops stationed in South Bengal frontier have seized more than 70 kg gold and apprehended 35 gold smugglers so far this year, clearly pointing to the rising spurt in gold smuggling from Bangladesh to India.

Similarly on Tuesday, personnel of 152 BSF Battalion stationed at Amudia BOP seized approximately. Around 1.1 kg gold worth 30 lakhs and apprehended an alleged smuggler, Arizul Molla, of 24 Parganas.

In another incident, acting on specific intelligence input, troops of 125 Battalion seized Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) worth Rs 12,95,500 (of Rs 500 denomination) on Tuesday.

One ‘smuggler’ Mukul Miah of Malda was also arrested in this connection.

The fake notes were concealed in sweets packets.

South Bengal frontier of BSF has seized more than Rs 53,83,500 in fake currency (more than 5.3 million Indian rupees) so far this year.

The senior BSF official said the “real time” intelligence-sharing between BSF and BGB has helped in cracking these smuggling rackets.