North 24 Parganas, 17 October (H.S.): Vigilant soldiers of the 143rd Battalion of the South Bengal Frontier on the India-Bangladesh international border foiled a major gold smuggling attempt. A smuggler was caught red-handed and 579 grams (one biscuit) of gold, valued at approximately ₹76.50 lakh, was recovered from him.

The operation took place on Thursday in the Hakimpur border outpost area. Acting on a tip-off, BSF personnel stopped a suspicious car travelling from Hakimpur Bazaar toward Swarupdah. During a search, a piece of metal wrapped in black tape was found on the dashboard of the vehicle. When opened, a gold biscuit (bar) was recovered inside.

The arrested suspect, the recovered gold, and the vehicle have been handed over to the relevant department for further legal action.

The Public Relations Officer of the BSF South Bengal Frontier stated that the Border Security Force is fully capable of preventing all types of illegal activities along the border. He appealed to border residents to report gold smuggling or any illegal activity to the BSF's Seema Sathi helpline number 14419 or send WhatsApp/voice messages to 9903472227.

He assured that those providing credible information will be appropriately rewarded and their identities will be kept confidential.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey