BSF arrests two Indian smugglers with Rs 6.15 crore gold

North 24 Parganas (West Bengal) [India], May 24 (ANI): The Border Security Force (BSF) apprehended two Indian smugglers with 74 gold biscuits and three gold bars worth over Rs 6.15 crore in two separate incidents from their border area.

The total weight of the seized gold is 11.620 kg and its value is approximately Rs 6,15,18,152. The smugglers were trying to take these gold biscuits from Bangladesh to India by dodging the security forces, stated the BSF.

In the first incident, on Monday, based on a specific input, troops of 179 Battalion BSF were checking vehicles at ICP Petrapole.

“At 11.15 am, troops stopped a truck which after unloading export goods, was returning to India from Bangladesh (Benapol) near the passenger gate at ICP Petrapole. During the search, a large packet wrapped in black cloth was found from behind the driver’s seat. On opening the packet, 70 gold biscuits and three gold bars were recovered. The total value of the seized Gold biscuits, bars and trucks was estimated to be Rs 5,98,54,165. Border Security Force troops soon seized all the gold biscuits, bars and the truck and also took the truck driver into custody for questioning”, said the official release.

The apprehended truck driver has been identified as Raj Mandal (26), a resident of Bangaon’s Joypur.

In the initial interrogation, Raj Mandal revealed that he permanently resides in Bangaon. He further revealed that he works as a truck driver and regularly goes to Bangladesh (Benapole) carrying export goods. On Monday, when he was returning with the empty truck from Bangladesh, an Indian national named Sahabuddin Mandal (Village-Khalitpur Bangaon) contacted him at 0930 hours in the morning and told him that a person named Pintu (Haldarpara, Bangaon) will give him a packet which has to be taken to India and deliver it to Shefali truck parking located on Bangaon-Chakda road. He took the packet and kept it in the cabin, but when he was returning to India, during the vehicle checking near the ICP main gate, the BSF apprehended him along with the packets.

Mandal said that he was supposed to get Rs 10,000 from Sahabuddin Mandal after the delivery of the consignment.

In another incident, on Monday, at 6.20 am, in Border Out Post Jayantipur, 158 Battalion troops of BSF, during a routine check, seized four gold biscuits weighing 466.62 Grams from a suspected motorcyclist. The apprehended person has been identified as Marub Mandal (36).

During interrogation, the man accepted his role in the gold smuggling. He is an Indian national but lives across the border. He said that he had taken the golds from Bablu Mandal (Village Sadiqpur, Post Office – Benapole, District – Jessore, Bangladesh). The smuggler revealed that this gold was to be handed over to Hafeezul Shaikh (father- Ansar Shaikh, village- Jayantipur, Police Station- Petrapole, District North 24 Parganas) after crossing the duty point of the Border Security Force. The apprehended smuggler has also exposed the names of some big smugglers, whose names are Gayasuddin Mandal, Salahuddin Sheikh, and Mohiuddin Sheikh, all of them are residents of the village Jayantipur. All of them live beyond the border fence.

The apprehended smugglers have been handed over to the Customs Office Petrapole along with the seized gold. (ANI)