BSF nabs 7 smugglers in Bengal, recover gold worth 6.86 crores

The BSF soldiers of the 68th battalion posted in Nadia district under the South Bengal Frontier have carried out an important operation in collaboration with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). During this joint operation, seven smugglers have been arrested in a series of search operations in the Seemanagar area on State Highway No. 11. 16 gold bricks weighing 9.572 kg and a gold biscuit were recovered from the possession of these smugglers.

Along with this, cash worth Rs 11 lakh 58 thousand 500 and a Maruti Eco car used in the delivery of gold were also seized. The total market value of the seized gold has been estimated at Rs 6,86,23,582.

According to the information given by the BSF on Friday, this incident took place on July 4 when the intelligence branch of the BSF received information about gold smuggling by the DRI. On confirming the information, a joint team of the soldiers of the 68th battalion of BSF and the DRI started a comprehensive search operation on State Highway No. 11 in the Seemanagar area.

In the operation that lasted from 5:30 am to 9 am, two smugglers were arrested with 4.8 kg of gold from a suspected Maruti Eco car. Later, four other smugglers were detained with 4.82 kg of gold. Based on the information received during preliminary interrogation, during the search of a suspected house in Ramnagar village of Karimpur, one person was arrested with a gold biscuit and illegal cash worth Rs 11 lakh 58 thousand 500. The smugglers are all residents of Nadia.

During preliminary interrogation, Rafiq Mandal said that he had been involved in gold smuggling for a long time and this time he was going to deliver a consignment of gold to an unknown person in Krishnanagar. In return, he was supposed to get Rs 3000. But the BSF arrested him with the gold before that. Earlier, in 2022 also, he was arrested by the BSF with 16 gold biscuits and his case is still going on.

All the gold couriers revealed that they used to bring gold from the border area of ​​​​Karrimpur and hand it over to an unknown person at Dumdum railway station and for this, they used to get two to five thousand rupees. All the smugglers and gold caught have been handed over to DRI, Kolkata for further legal action.