North 24 Parganas: During the sixth phase of voting being held in the country, BSF conducted a special operation on the specific information of the BSF Intelligence Department in the Haldarpada Border village on the India-Bangladesh border of North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal and seized a very big consignment of gold. The vigilant personnel of Border outpost Gunarmath, 05 Battalion under South Bengal Frontier, conducted a special operation in village Haldarpada in the responsibility area of the Border outpost and recovered 89 gold biscuits of different sizes from the house of Alok Paul (name changed) when the smuggler, after smuggling this gold consignment from Bangladesh to India, was hiding it in his home before further delivery. The total weight of the seized gold is 16.067 kg and the estimated market value is Rs 12 crore.
According to A.K. Arya, DIG & Spokesperson of South Bengal Frontier, on May 25, the jawans of border outpost Gunarmath received information about a very big consignment of gold in a house in the border village Haldarpada. As soon as the information was obtained, a special operation was launched under which the said suspicious house of the village was cordoned off from all sides. After this, the house was searched in the presence of dignitaries of the village. During the search, Alok Paul (name changed) was caught with the consignment of gold which he had hidden in a cloth belt in his house. On opening the cloth belt, 89 gold biscuits of different shapes and sizes were found. After this, the said person was brought to the border outpost- Kalyani along with the consignment of gold for further legal action.
The arrested smuggler has been identified as Alok Paul (name changed), a resident of Haldarpada, Gunarmath, Police Station Bangaon, District North 24 Parganas.
During interrogation, Alok Paul (name changed) revealed that in the last week of March 2024, he came in contact with a gold smuggler from Bangladesh. He was assured that he would be paid Rs 400 every day to keep his gold consignment hidden at home, for which he agreed and got involved in this work. After this, the unknown smuggler kept bringing consignments of gold to his house. On May 25, 2024, at around 12:40 pm, the same smuggler had given him 89 gold biscuits and bricks of different shapes and sizes to hide in the house. BSF got wind of this and conducted a special operation and caught him along with the consignment of gold during the search. He further said that he has already spent one month in jail for gold smuggling and his case is still going on in Bangaon Court.
The arrested smuggler and the seized gold consignment have been handed over to the Director of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Kolkata for further legal proceedings.
Public Relations Officer of BSF, South Bengal Frontier, A.K. Arya, DIG, expressed happiness over this achievement of BSF jawans. He further said that strict action would be taken against those involved in smuggling. He appealed to the people living on the border that if they get any information related to gold smuggling then they should contact BSF's Seema Sathi helpline number 14419 and give information. South Bengal Frontier has also issued another number 9903472227 on which WhatsApp messages or voice messages related to gold smuggling can be sent. An appropriate reward amount will be given to the person providing concrete information and their identity will be kept confidential. /BI
