Smuggler hides gold biscuits in abdomen, nabbed after X-Ray
Darpan News Desk IANS, 31 Jan, 2023 11:19 AM
Kolkata, Jan 31 (IANS) The Border Security Force (BSF) had to get an X-Ray done on a smuggler to get hold of eight gold biscuits hidden inside his lower abdomen.
The biscuits weigh 932 gm and their estimated market value is Rs 54,78,855.
The incident occurred on Monday under the jurisdiction of the Amudia Border Outpost, manned by troops of the 112 BN, BSF. This is in the North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal that shares an international border with the Satkhira district of Bangladesh.
Madai Mandal of Amudia village was stopped by BSF personnel for a routine search.
Though no incriminating item was found during the search, the hand-held metal detectors kept beeping when brought close to his lower abdomen.
Mandal maintained that he wasn't aware why this was happening. Finally, the BSF personnel shifted him to a local hospital and got an X-Ray done.
The X-Ray plate revealed the presence of some metallic objects inside his lower abdomen.
"Mandal broke down finally and confessed that they were gold biscuits. He had been given the biscuits by one Rahim of Satkhira, Bangladesh and was to hand them over to one Suresh of Bithari village in North 24-Parganas. For a mere Rs 300, he had stuffed the biscuits up his anal passage. He also admitted that he has been involved in such activities for a long time now. The biscuits were extracted and handed over to the Customs office in Tentulia along with Mandal for further processing," a senior official of the BSF's South Bengal Frontier said.
The Commanding Officer of the 112Bn said that smugglers are adopting such tactics to evade strict monitoring along the International Boundary with Bangladesh.
A search has been launched for Suresh and others who may have been involved in this operation.
In the past, smugglers have tried such tactics at airports to evade Customs officials but this is probably the first time that an attempt was made along the land border in West Bengal.
Doctors said that the man's life could have been saved had he been brought to the hospital in time. The victim was the only son of his parents and was looking after the family business after the death of his father. He got married two years ago and his wife is four months pregnant.
Their family and well-wishers in Punjab say they were employed by a private company. They were sacked from their jobs, but their passports were not returned and were unable to return to India. Social activist Dilbagh Singh has written to Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, seeking their early extradition.
While campaigning in favour of AAP candidate Satinder Singh for by poll in Adampur in Haryana, the Chief Minister said the people of Punjab are trusting them, and AAP will never let this trust be broken at any cost. He said now it is Haryana's turn and the beginning of this change in Haryana will begin from the Adampur constituency.
The Indian embassy further advised citizens to contact it for any assistance needed for crossing the border. It also advised the citizens to contact Indian embassies in Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia as per their exit plans.
According to data shared by Delhi Police, from October 1 to 24, a total of 17,357.134 kg firecrackers were seized which were kept for storage or sale and a total of 150 firecrackers sales were registered.
The Chief Minister extended warm greetings to the people, especially the Sikhs, on the historic Bandi Chhor Diwas, to mark the release from prison of the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind, and 52 other princes with him, in 1619.
