Gold worth Rs 3 crore seized at India-Bangladesh border in WB, 1 held

Barasat (West Bengal): Gold bars and bricks worth Rs 3.09 crore were seized at the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district and one person was arrested, officials said on Tuesday.

Two gold bars and 30 gold biscuits, weighing 4.82 kg, were seized by BSF personnel from Halderpara in the Angrail border outpost area, they said.

The on-duty personnel spotted three persons in the Ichamati river, which is a natural boundary between the two countries, crossing over to India from the Bangladesh side. As the BSF personnel chased, two of them managed to flee but one was caught.

The incident happened around 3 pm on Sunday, officials said.

The accused, identified as Prosenjit Mandal, told the BSF that he was paid Rs 500 by a person to cross the river and get the gold consignment to India.

When Mandal, a local, went to the Bangladeshi side, a man was waiting for him with the gold biscuits and bars. He took them, and was returning to India when the BSF caught him.

The BSF handed him over to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for further legal procedure, officials said.