BSF seizes 41kg gold worth Rs 21cr along India-Bangladesh border

India's Border Security Force today (July 22, 2022) claimed to have made the biggest seizure of gold weighing 41.49 kg worth nearly Rs 21.22 crore from five bags left behind by suspected smugglers in the Ichhamati River along the border with Bangladesh.

On getting specific intelligence inputs of cross-border movement of smugglers at the border outpost of Gunarmath village in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, BSF 158 battalion personnel laid an ambush along Ichhamati around 6:30 pm local time yesterday (July 21, 2022), according to a BSF statement issued today.

The ambush team noticed a group of about seven-eight suspected smugglers crossing the international border by a country boat across Ichhamati and entering the Indian territory with some bags, reports our New Delhi correspondent citing the statement.

Being challenged by the BSF, the smugglers tried to confront the BSF troops who quickly moved forward, forcing the smugglers to jump into the river and swim back to Bangladesh leaving behind the goods.

A thorough search of the area led to the recovery of five bags containing 321 gold biscuits, four gold bars, one gold coin, and a wooden boat. The recovered gold was 24-carat in purity, the statement said.

Besides, four mobile phones, packing material, and Bangladeshi newspapers were also seized.

"This is reportedly the biggest single seizure of gold by any Indian law enforcement agency along the India-Bangladesh border," the BSF said.