Kolkata, Aug 27 (IANS) The Border Security Force (BSF) has arrested a smuggler and seized 27 kg of silver from the fuel tank of his car along the India-Bangladesh Border (IBB), in the North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal, an official said on Wednesday.

“Around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, troops of the 143 Bn BSF, posted at the Tarali-1 Border Outpost received information of an attempt to smuggle silver through the Hakimpur check-post. The company commander alerted all personnel on-duty personnel. Around 10:30 pm, during routine checks at the check-post, the troops stopped a car and questioned the driver. After he failed to satisfy their queries, the troops informed the company commander, who reached the spot and ordered a thorough search of the vehicle,” a senior BSF official said.

“After a long search, 20 packets were found. They were cleverly concealed in the car’s fuel tank. The packets contained silver ornaments and balls. The driver was arrested and taken to the BOP along with the silver,” he added.

During questioning, the smuggler revealed that he is a resident of Hakimpur and was in contact with a Bangladeshi national for some time. On the instructions of the Bangladeshi national, he attempted to smuggle the silver from India to Bangladesh.

He was promised some money for the work. Further questioning revealed that he had been involved in smuggling activities for quite some time and was apprehended by the BSF in 2021 as well.

The weight of the silver ornaments was 17.4 kg and the balls weighed 9.97 kg. Their value is estimated to be Rs 27,36,920. The smuggler and the silver have been handed over to the concerned department for further legal processing, the BSF said.

The official commended the efforts of the troops in finding the concealed silver.

He said that the BSF is fully committed to curbing smuggling activities in the border areas with utmost vigilance and dedication. He added that efforts are being made to identify the entire network involved in the smuggling of silver across the IBB.

While gold is smuggled from Bangladesh to India, silver ornaments move in the opposite direction. There is high demand for Indian-made silver ornaments in Bangladesh. Some of it is also exported.

–IANS

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