Ahead of polls, BSF makes back-to-back gold seizures near B’desh border

Kolkata: It’s election season in the world’s largest democracy and it’s raining gold from across the border. Over the last three days, the South Bengal Frontier of the Border Security Force (BSF) has seized gold biscuits worth over Rs 66 lakh that were being smuggled from Bangladesh to India through the border crossing at Petrapole in the North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal.

The latest seizure took place on Monday around 11 a.m. when troops of the 145 Battalion received intelligence inputs about a suspected gold smuggling attempt in an empty Indian truck that was returning from Bangladesh. The vehicle was intercepted at Integrated Check Post (ICP) Petrapole and two gold biscuits were retrieved from the driver’s cabin. The driver has been identified as Rajuddin Mondal of the Bhashanpota village, West Bengal, India.

Mondal said that he drove into Bangladesh on April 6 with an export consignment from India. While leaving with an empty truck, he was given the two gold biscuits by one Rony Mondal at Benapole in Bangladesh. The driver was to receive Rs 2,000 once he handed over the gold to a person at a parking lot on the Indian side. He, along with the gold, has been handed over to the Customs department by the BSF.

“On Saturday, four gold biscuits were seized by the BSF from another smuggler at ICP Petrapole. The gold, weighing 466.63 grams, was valued at Rs 32,96,741. The smuggler was identified as Hridayoy of Munshiganj in Bangladesh. He had allegedly purchased the gold in Bangladesh for 40 lakh Bangladeshi Taka (about Rs 30.41 lakh in Indian currency) and was to hand it over to someone at a hotel near Sudder Street in Kolkata,” said A K Arya, DIG and spokesperson, BSF (South Bengal Frontier).

“It was a near repeat on Sunday when two gold biscuits were seized from a Bangladeshi citizen named Md Russel Mia. The smuggler claimed that he was to receive Rs 4,000 after handing over the gold to somebody at New Market in Kolkata (about 80 km from Petrapole). I commend the efforts by our troops in thwarting such crimes. I also urge people to come out against such crimes where poor villagers get trapped by the actual kingpins who remain in the shadows,” Arya added.