Rs 80 lakh gold biscuits seized by BSF from Bangla border

Gold biscuits worth Rs 80 lakh have been seized by BSF troops when they were being allegedly smuggled across Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal.
The incident occured yesterday near Hakimpur border post in North 24 Parganas district of the state when a BSF patrol intercepted a person coming from Bangladesh with 24 gold biscuits weighing about 2.8kg and of estimated value of Rs 80 lakh, a senior official said.
The person, who was apprehended has been identified as Noor Islam Mullah (30), a resident of the same district, the official said adding he has been handed over to police.
India's land borders with Bangladesh and Nepal have seen a spurt in the smuggling of the yellow metal in rcent months after the government raised the import duty on gold with an aim to narrow the current account deficit.

In the last few months, 6-kg gold, valued at an estimated Rs 1.8 crore, has been seized by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel under South Bengal frontier which guards a crucial part of the 4,096km Indo-Bangladesh border.
The latest seizure and arrest were effected by a unit belonging to the 152nd battalion of the border guarding force deployed in the district.