Gold all the way

Sleuths of India's Directorate of Revenue Intelligence hit a jackpot near Kolkata on Sunday, seizing 45 kgs of contraband gold from a local leader of the West Bengal's Trinamul Congress.

This is the biggest single haul of gold in the state, perhaps one of the biggest anywhere in India.

DRI officials are not sharing much details because they are busy trying to produce the Trinamul leader in court and getting him on remand for questioning.

Late on Sunday a court in Kolkata sent both Abdul Barik Biswas and his driver to jail custody until Mar 12 to facilitate questioning by the police.

One DRI official on condition of anonymity had told bdnews24.com that Barik Biswas and driver Moksad Mondal both were taken into custody with the entire consignment -- 45 kgs of gold in bars and biscuits.

He said it appears the consignment was brought in from across the border in Bangladesh, but confirmation is awaited on that.

Barik is the brother of Golam Biswas, a Zila Parishad member of North 24 Parganas district from the Trinamul Congress.

Both brothers are a regular sight in Trinamul meetings and rallies in the district bordering Bangladesh.

BSF officials say Barik is a history-sheeter and a known cattle smuggler who has extensive links with the underworld in Bangladesh.

Trinamul Congress leader Abdul Barik Biswas. Photo: 24ghanta.com

They hail from Sangrampur near Basirhat in North24 Parganas district, north of Kolkata.

Some Trinamul Congress leaders in this district have been accused of close links with 'fundamentalist groups' in Bangladesh by the Opposition Left Front in West Bengal.

Left Front Chairman Biman Bose had alleged that Trinamul leaders are sheltering Islamist fundamentalists when they are fleeing into West Bengal to escape security operations in Bangladesh.

The Left has even alleged that some of these leaders have been given nominations for parliament berths by Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee.

Earlier, former Leftist Chief Minister of West Bengal Buddhadev Bhattacharya had questioned Banerjee's meeting with the Pakistan envoy in India Salman Basheer.

"Bangladesh is more important for us, not Pakistan. So is she adversely affecting our relations with Bangladesh and trying to improve it with Pakistan," Bhattacharya had said.