Kolkata: The vigilant jawans of the Border Security Force (BSF) South Bengal Frontier have conducted a significant gold seizure at the Indo-Bangladesh border. Acting on specific intelligence, personnel from the Tentulberia Border Outpost (05th Battalion) conducted an operation in Anchalpada village, located in the hinterland of North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal. They arrested a civil engineer in possession of 50 gold biscuits weighing 5.9 kg, valued at ₹4.36 crore.
The incident occurred on 18th November. Acting on a tip-off about smuggling activities in Achalpara/Ponchpota village, approximately 2,700 meters behind the Tentulberia Border Outpost, BSF jawans moved to the suspected location. Upon seeing the BSF team near his house, the accused attempted to escape through the rear gate. Despite being challenged by the jawans, he tried to break through the cordon. The jawans fired a blank round in the air, causing the smuggler to panic and leading to his apprehension.
A search of the accused on the spot revealed 50 gold biscuits wrapped in a black cloth belt, concealed in a synthetic carry bag. The individual, along with the seized gold, was subsequently taken to the Tentulberia Border Outpost for further investigation.
During interrogation, the man admitted to being a civil engineer who had turned to smuggling to earn quick money. He disclosed that he would receive consignments of gold, store them for 1-2 hours, and then hand them over to an unknown carrier for further delivery. For his role, he was paid between ₹500 and ₹1,000 per delivery. He further revealed that on the morning of November 18, he had received 50 gold biscuits but was caught by BSF personnel before he could hand them over.
The arrested individual and the seized gold have been handed over to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Kolkata, for further action.
Niloptal Kumar Pandey, DIG and Public Relations Officer of BSF South Bengal Frontier, lauded the alertness of the BSF personnel and reaffirmed the force’s commitment to combating smuggling activities. He also urged local residents to share any information related to gold smuggling through BSF’s Seema Sathi Helpline 14419 or WhatsApp number 9903472227. He assured that informants would be rewarded, and their identities kept confidential.
