The Border Security Force (BSF) detained a smuggler to combat cross-border smuggling in Tripura and confiscated four gold bars valued at Rs 36.6 lakhs on Saturday. Acting on precise information from the BSF, troops set up an ambush in the Nischintpur area.
A BSF officer stated, “Ambush party observed the movement of two suspects between the international boundary and the border fence. The movement of suspects was kept under surveillance by BSF troops deployed at the border Observation Post. Suspects moving from the Bangladesh side to the Indian side negotiated the border fence and entered the nearby forest area, but the alert BSF Ambush party successfully apprehended one suspect. However, another suspect managed to escape towards the Indian village Nischintpur, taking advantage of the dense vegetation.” Upon questioning at the scene, the detained individual disclosed his identity as Prashant Rai, aged 36, hailing from Amtali in the West District.
Further, the official said, “Frisking of apprehended person was carried out in the presence of independent witnesses and four numbers of gold biscuits appx weight 466 grams suspected to be gold worth Rs 36.6 lakhs recovered from his possession. The apprehended person accepted his involvement in the trans-border smuggling of gold and revealed that the consignment was handed over to him by one Bangladeshi smuggler, namely Iqbal r/o Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh.”
The BSF mentioned that they are conducting a large-scale search operation in the border region to capture the culprit who fled the scene. Investigations are ongoing.