Truck driver arrested at Bangladesh border for smuggling gold biscuits

New Delhi, Aug 26 (IANS) Border Security Force (BSF) on Saturday said that they have arrested a truck driver while smuggling 45 gold biscuits valued at over Rs three crore at India-Bangladesh International border.

An official said that the truck driver regularly visited Bangladesh carrying export goods. After he was coming back to India, he was given a consignment by Bangladesh based man to deliver gold in India.

The smuggler had hid the gold biscuits in cavities for the empty truck. The accused was identified as Samrat Biswas.

"On August 25, 2023 at 4:15 am, based on concrete information, the officials during vehicle checking stopped suspicious truck for search at ICP Petrapole. During the search, the jawans recovered 21 gold biscuits wrapped with transparent tape and tied in a cloth through selected cavities made in the truck. Thereafter, Border Security Force troops quickly seized the gold biscuits and the truck and took the truck driver into custody for questioning," said the official.

The official said that when the seized 21 gold biscuits and the truck driver were being handed over to the Custom Office Petrapole after all the paper formalities, the BSF got concrete information about more gold biscuits being hidden in the same truck.

Thereafter, the company commander immediately called a civil mechanic and got a few more selected cavities opened in the other side of the truck.

"On opening another cavities in the truck, 24 more gold biscuits were found wrapped in tape. Thus a total of 45 gold biscuits were seized from the truck. The estimated value of 45 gold biscuits and the seized truck is at Rs.3,12,44,424," the official said.

"Biswas works as a truck driver and regularly goes to Bangladesh carrying export goods. On August 21, he went to Bangladesh with loading sponge iron in said truck. On August 25, when he was coming back to India, Suman Mandal resident of Benapole, district Jashore contacted him at ICP Benapole, Bangladesh parking area and handed over 45 gold biscuits.

“As per the instructions of Suman Mandal, he was about to come to India and hand over the gold biscuits to Salam Mondal who is resident of Gopalnagar," the official said.

BSF received information that Salam Mandal and Qutubdin Karikar are gold smugglers. These smugglers work for Ajgar Sheikh who is a major supplier of gold in India.

The apprehended smuggler along with the seized gold has been handed over to P&I, Custom Office, Kolkata for further legal action.