Kolkata, Nov 27 (IANS) The Border Security Force (BSF) has seized gold worth nearly Rs 1.02 crore along the India-Bangladesh border in the Malda district of West Bengal, officials said on Thursday.

The gold was hidden inside the tyre of a bicycle.

“Troops of the 119 Battalion of BSF, deployed at the M.S. Pur Border Outpost in Malda received specific intelligence inputs of an attempt to smuggle gold from Bangladesh to India through their area of jurisdiction. Surveillance was intensified along the border and all movement was checked,” a senior official of the BSF’s South Bengal Frontier said.

“Around 2:56 p.m., a suspicious individual was seen moving towards the border with a bicycle. He was stopped and the troops began inspecting the bicycle. During the search, the front tyre of the bicycle appeared unusually swollen and rigid. This raised suspicion among the troops and they removed it to find seven gold biscuits hidden inside,” he added.

The smuggler took advantage of the confusion that prevailed.

Even as the BSF jawans were busy with the bicycle, the smuggler fled towards a densely populated area.

Any action by the BSF could have led to collateral damage.

The seized gold was taken to the border outpost and weighed.

The gold biscuits weighed 816.41 grams and their value was estimated at Rs 1,02,40,230.

After the incident, a search operation was conducted across the area, but the smuggler could not be traced.

The gold has been handed over to the concerned agency for further legal processing.

The official expressed appreciation for the successful operation and said that BSF jawans are fully capable, vigilant and dedicated to preventing illegal activities such as smuggling along the border.

He also urged border residents to share any information related to gold smuggling through the BSF Seema Sathi helpline number ‘14419’ or via WhatsApp message or voice message on 9903472227.

He assured that appropriate rewards would be given for credible information and the identity of the informants would be kept strictly confidential.

–IANS

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