Kolkata, March 3 (IANS) The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on Friday apprehended two cross-border smugglers and seized 2.56 kg gold biscuits valued at Rs 1.5 crore from them.
The smugglers were nabbed at the Haridaspur-Jayantipur border at Bongaon sub-division in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
A source said that the patrolling team of the BSF tracked the two arrested individuals whose movements looked suspicious.
When the patrolling team questioned them about their whereabouts, they gave "irrelevant and inconsistent answers", and suddenly tried to escape.
However, the BSF personnel quickly nabbed them.
The arrested persons have been identified as Zahir Hossain Mollah and Giasuddin Mondal. Both are residents of North 24 Parganas district.
During questioning, they admitted that they crossed the border to Bangladesh to get the gold biscuits from one Karim Mondal -- a resident of Jessore district there.
They were supposed to smuggle those gold biscuits from Bangladesh to India and hand them over to one Raju Biswas, who is also a resident of North 24 Parganas district.
The arrested duo were supposed to get Rs 20,000 each for carrying out the assignment.
Throwing a new dimension to the ongoing Pegasus spyware phone-tapping controversy, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) expressed deep apprehensions that some 'foreign powers' may be snooping on the country, here on Tuesday.
While 12 students are from Kailash Nagar, eight are from Basti Jodhewal. District Magistrate Varinder Kumar Sharma has ordered closure of both schools till August 24.
Expressing concern over "inimical powers from across the border trying to exploit the resentment and disgruntlement against the government", he sought an enduring and expeditious solution to the farmers' concerns.
Citing the recent heavy influx of weapons, hand grenades, and IEDs into the state, with Pakistan's ISI also raising the ante ahead of the Independence Day and in the run-up to the Assembly polls, he told Shah at a meeting here this evening that the security situation was grave and needed the Centre's immediate intervention.
