Recently, the Border Security Force (BSF) arrested a cross-border smuggler who had four gold biscuits from Tripura’s Indo-Bangla international border area. The day before, this arrest followed the apprehension of an Indian tout and four Bangladeshi nationals. The group had assisted the foreign nationals in illegally crossing the border and entering Indian territory.
According to a statement, a BSF PRO said that the BSF has been continuously conducting a series of special operations to combat cross-border smuggling in Tripura and that the smuggling bid was foiled as part of the continued efforts to neutralize the illicit activities on the India-Bangladesh International border.
Recently In a series of operations which was based on specific BSF input, an ambush was laid by BSF troops in the area of BOP Nischintpur, 42 battalion of BSF. The ambush party observed the movement of two suspects in between the international boundary and border fence, says the PRO. He also added that the movement of suspects was kept under surveillance by BSF troops deployed on a LOC border observation post, after which suspects moving from the Bangladesh side to the Indian side crossed the border fence and came close to the forest area. However, in that area, where the BSF team which had laid ambush, apprehended one suspect successfully.
During the operation, the other suspect escaped towards Nischintpur village, taking advantage of the dense vegetation. This is the last Indian village in the area. India’s last railway station is Nischintpur which is along the Indo-Bangla border and close to Agartala Railway Station in Tripura. It is very close to the zero line and serves as a crucial intersection point in the Agartala-Akhaura international railway route, which was inaugurated last year by Prime Minister Modi.
The arrested accused, recognized as Prashant Rai, 36, from Amtali in the West Tripura district, and during questioning he revealed his identity. In the presence of independent witnesses, he was frisked, resulting in the recovery of four yellow metal biscuits weighing approximately 466 grams, suspected to be gold with an approximate value of Rs 36.6 lakh, says the BSF official.
The official mentioned that the accused accepted his involvement in the trans-border smuggling of gold and exposed that the consignment was given to him by a Bangladeshi smuggler named Iqbal, who is a resident of Brahman Aria, Bangladesh. In the adjoining border area, a massive search operation was conducted to nab the culprit, who escaped from the spot.
During the recent months, a series of arrests of foreign nationals in Tripura have occurred including the arrest of 11 Bangladeshi nationals, three of whom were children. A total of 1,018 people were arrested from January 2023 to April of this year for illegally crossing the border in various parts of Tripura. This includes 124 Rohingya individuals, 396 Indian nationals, and 498 Bangladeshi citizens.
The number of people being detained for illegally crossing the border in Tripura has significantly increased compared to previous years. In 2022, across the state, the BSF detained 369 individuals, including 160 Indians, 59 Rohingya, and 150 Bangladeshi nationals. Additionally, a significant amount of drugs and contraband was recovered, and 208 intruders, including 115 Indian and 93 Bangladeshi nationals, were arrested in 2021.
