BSF South Bengal Frontier seized gold, silver worth nearly Rs 120 crore in 2024: Official

Kolkata, Dec 1 (PTI) The BSF South Bengal Frontier has seized gold and silver worth nearly Rs 120 crore and arrested 86 Indian and 32 Bangladeshi smugglers in 2024 till November-end, an official said here on Sunday.

This year, the BSF arrested 51 Indian and 10 Bangladeshis allegedly involved in drug smuggling racket, the official said.

From January till November-end of 2024, BSF South Bengal Frontier seized 170.48 kg of gold worth Rs 118.63 crore and 159 kg of silver worth Rs 1.15 crore, the BSF official said.

A total of 105 gold smuggling cases were busted, resulting in the arrest of 86 Indian and 32 Bangladeshi smugglers, he said.

The official said that various innovative tactics were used by smugglers, such as hiding precious metals in cavities of vehicles, soles of shoes, agricultural implements and even turning these into paste form..

BSF guards over 900 km international border in South Bengal Frontier area covering the districts of South and North 24 Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad and Malda.

The BSF has also foiled several attempts to smuggle drugs, with the seizure of over 1.73 lakh bottles of banned phensedyl syrup, which has high alcohol content, 1,223 kg of ganja, 69,702 yaba tablets, a powerful stimulant, and 17.5 kg ofnarcotic powder, the official said in a statement.

Using modern surveillance and tracking technologies, the BSF South Bengal Frontier apprehended 1,742 infiltrators -- 1,301 Bangladeshis and 442 Indians, he said.

The BSF also held several high-level meetings with its Bangladesh counterparts through the year, including one inspector general-level meeting, three at the DIG-level and 23 commandant-level discussions, the official said.

"In line with its unwavering commitment to effective border management, BSF South Bengal Frontier maintains strong bilateral relations with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)," the statement said.

It said that these interactions promote trust, cooperation and regional stability, thereby improving border security. PTI AMR ACD