Pond of gold: BSF recovers 40 gold biscuits worth ₹2.57 crore

Gold biscuits were recovered from a pond in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district

| Updated: 06 March, 2023 8:15 pm IST

BSF troops of Border Out Post Kalyani, 158 Battalion under South Bengal Frontier, recovered 40 gold biscuits, weighing approximately 4.6 kg

In a major success against the smuggling of gold, the Border Security Force (BSF) recovered 40 gold biscuits worth ₹2.57 crore in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Monday, March 6.

“The search was conducted based on reliable intelligence that a smuggler had hidden a large consignment of gold in the pond a few months ago,” BSF said.

“The smuggler had attempted to smuggle contraband through the water-filled pond, but upon seeing the troops on duty, he jumped into the water and escaped,” it added.

A massive search operation was launched to locate the gold, but the difficult terrain made it challenging for the jawans to find anything, and the smuggler was allowed to leave. After receiving information about the hidden consignment, BSF increased security in the area and posted a sentry to keep watch until the water receded.

“Recently, another piece of information was received that smugglers would enter the pond on the pretext of playing Holi and try to retrieve the hidden gold. As a result, a BSF search team was formed and equipped with modern gadgets to carry out an intense search,” BSF said.

“During the search, an F3 land mine detector and metal detectors were used to locate the gold in the target area of the pond. The search operation is still ongoing in the area,” it added.

“Smugglers try to smuggle in different ways, but due to the vigilance and understanding of BSF jawans, smugglers are being caught continuously, and their plans are constantly being foiled,” a BSF spokesperson stated.

The spokesman of the South Bengal Frontier expressed satisfaction with the success of the jawans in recovering the gold and emphasized the importance of vigilance and understanding in catching smugglers.

The BSF urges people living on the border to report any information related to gold smuggling to the Seema Saathi helpline number, 14419, or send a WhatsApp or voice message to 9903472227. People providing concrete information will receive suitable reward money, and their identities will be kept confidential.

In 2022, the South Bengal Frontier seized more than 113 kg of gold at the border, and smugglers have been using various modus operandi to smuggle gold.