BSF seized gold worth Rs 14 crore, one arrested

Kolkata (IANS). BSF’s 68th battalion arrested a person with about 23 kg of smuggled gold along the India-Bangladesh border at Bagda in North 24 Parganas early Tuesday.

The arrested person has been identified as Inderjit Patra, a resident of Kulia village in North 24 Parganas district. The smuggled gold in the form of biscuits and rods was being carried inside the air-filter of the bike he was driving.

The value of the seized gold is said to be around Rs 14 crore. The seized consignment includes 50 gold biscuits and 16 gold bars.

A senior BSF officer said the smuggled gold was brought from neighboring Bangladesh and was to be taken to Kolkata. After arresting Inderjit Patra, BSF officials handed him over to Customs officials.

According to the report, BSF had installed barricades at the van crossing near the border after receiving information from sources. When Patra reached the spot on his bike, the soldiers caught him.

Patra tried to escape but BSF jawans controlled him. Then he was taken to the post along with the bike. After this, gold biscuits and rods were recovered from inside the air-filter of the bike.

Investigation revealed that Patra, along with his younger brother, owned a gold jewelery shop in his native village. During interrogation, he admitted that he had got the work of collecting and carrying smuggled goods from a person named Sameer for a payment of Rs 15,000.