Trinamool leader held with gold

A Trinamool Congress leader along with his driver has been arrested by the Indian Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) with 45 kilograms gold reportedly smuggled into India from Bangladesh, reports BBC Bangla Service.
Acting on a tip-off, the DRI arrested Abdul Barique Biswas and his driver at Basirhat in Uttar Chabbish Pargana district of West Bengal and seized gold bars from his vehicle, says a BBC report without citing the date and time of the arrest.
Barique carried those gold bars worth around Rs13 crore (Tk 16.57 crore) illegally from Bangladesh, DRI sources said, adding the duo was on the way to Kolkata at the time of the arrest.
DRI suspects that Barique, a leader of the ruling Trinamool Congress in Uttar Chabbish Pargana, may be involved in terrorism and may patronise terrorist groups. He also might be involved in other criminal activities like illegal cattle trading and arms and fake currency smuggling, BBC quoted DRI sources as saying.
DRI placed him and the driver before a Kolkata court that passed an order yesterday, detaining him in jail until March 12.  
Barique's lawyer, however, declined his client's involvement in gold smuggling.
He said Barique had taken lift in the vehicle on the way to a wedding ceremony.
Local people say Barique hails from Basirhat and is a popular leader of the ruling party there.
Jyotipriya Mallick, a minister and chief of the district Trinamool Congress in Uttar Chabbish Pargana, however, said Barique was not a leader of the party. Barique is his brother, the minister said.
National Investigation Agency, a special branch of law enforcers formed to investigate terrorism, took over several such cases of smugglers arrested in border areas.