NEW DELHI: On the day the conference between the border forces of India and Bangladesh concluded, the Border Security Force (BSF) managed to recover at least 321 gold biscuits, four gold bars and a gold coin from near the India-Bangladesh border in Bengal’s 24 Pargana district.
The 41.491 kg of gold is estimated to be worth Rs 21.22 crores. It is reportedly the biggest seizure of gold by any Indian law enforcement agency along the Indo-Bangladesh Border.
BSF said that the gold was being smuggled on a boat by a group of persons from the India-Bangladesh border along the Ichhamati river on July 21.
Incidentally, the seizure happened on the concluding day of a Directors General level Coordination Conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh between the border forces of the two nations. It is believed that the coordination between both countries helped in making such a huge seizure by BSF.
According to a statement, BSF received specific intelligence inputs on the cross-border movement of smugglers in the area of Border Outpost Gunarmath, 158 Battalion BSF in North 24 Parganas on July 21.
The troops laid an ambush in the target area of the International Border along the Ichhamati River near the village Gunarmath.
At around 6.30 pm, the ambush party witnessed the movement of about seven to eight suspected smugglers crossing the international border by a country-made boat over the Ichhamati river.
On being challenged by the ambush party, after they entered the Indian territory, the smugglers tried to confront the BSF troops, but the jawans quickly moved forward and the smugglers jumped into the river and moved back to the Bangladesh side leaving behind all their goods.
A thorough search of the area was conducted in which five bags were seized. Apart from gold, four mobile phones, packing material and Bangladeshi newspapers were also recovered from the side.