Over 170 kg gold seized along South Bengal Frontier in 2024: BSF

Kolkata (The Uttam Hindu): The South Bengal Frontier of the Border Security Force (BSF) claims to have seized 170.48 kg of gold worth Rs 118.63 crore that was being smuggled into India from Bangladesh in 2024. A senior BSF official said that a total of 105 gold smuggling cases were busted, resulting in the arrest of 86 Indian and 32 Bangladeshi smugglers.

“The seizure of silver during this period was 159 kg. This is valued at Rs 1.15 crore. Silver is normally smuggled from India to Bangladesh,” he said while releasing the figure on Sunday on the occasion of the BSF's 60th Raising Day. He added so far as the smuggling of gold is concerned, smugglers tried to use innovative techniques, such as hiding it in their body cavities, inside vehicles and luggage, soles of shoes and even agricultural implements but were apprehended.

“The BSF even succeeded in thwarting efforts to smuggle gold in paste form,” the official said. The BSF's South Bengal Frontier is in charge of 913 km of the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB), stretching from Malda in north Bengal to the estuarine point of the Sundarbans in the south. The 20 battalions, under four sector headquarters, cover the districts of Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24-Parganas and South 24-Parganas.

“This is one of the most challenging borders in the country. It includes the challenging terrain of the Sundarbans, riverine sections, charland, densely populated villages and unfenced areas. It is due to the tireless efforts of the BSF jawans that ensures peace, security and integrity along this important border,” the official said. He added that the BSF has succeeded in preventing infiltration to a large extent along the extremely porous border that is dotted with zero-line villages. “This has been possible through the use of advanced surveillance systems including CCTV cameras, PTZ cameras and drones. The border area has developed a robust surveillance mechanism under the Electronic Surveillance for Vulnerable Patches (ESVP) initiative,” he claimed.

He added that in 2024, the BSF apprehended 1,742 people attempting to cross the IBB illegally. “While 1,301 of them were Bangladeshi nationals, 441 were Indians. We also apprehended 39 touts, involved in facilitating this infiltration,” he said. He said that the BSF has also played a tremendous role against human trafficking through its Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs). “Several Bangladeshi as well as Indian women have been rescued before they fell into the trap of vicious networks operating across the country,” the official added. The Frontier has also made a major mark in the war against narcotics by seizing 1,73,628 bottles of the banned cough syrup Phensedyl (worth Rs 3.62 crore), 1,223 kg of Ganja, 69,702 Yaba tablets (worth Rs 6.95 crore) and 17.5 kg of narcotics powder. A total of 51 arrests have been made in this connection. Of those arrested, 41 are Indians. More than 800 endangered species of animals, including a Peruvian Alpaca and rare Chinese Golden Pheasants were rescued from traffickers and handed over to the forest department for rehabilitation.