Border Security Force (BSF) personnel seized gold worth over ₹40 lakh and nabbed an Indian smuggler with 108kg of ganja in two separate operations along the Bangladesh border in Cooch Behar on Thursday.

Troops of the 138th Battalion, Guwahati Frontier, carried out both operations based on intelligence inputs.

At the first raid, which took place near Chowdhurihat in the Dinhata subdivision, 364.750 grams of gold was recovered. Valued at ₹40,97,347, it was handed over to the customs department, a source in the BSF said.

In another drive along the international border, BSF personnel apprehended an Indian national attempting to smuggle 108kg of ganja to Bangladesh.

They handed over the accused and the narcotics to police for legal proceedings.

Senior officers of the Guwahati Frontier said the operations proved that traffickers continued to use vulnerable stretches of the Cooch Behar border to push contraband into Bangladesh. They stressed that troops maintain a round-the-clock vigil and remain committed to foil such activities.

“Smuggling of narcotics and gold is a major concern in this area. Our men acted swiftly on intelligence and stopped two major consignments in the past two days,” said a
BSF officer.

Locals said that security agencies have stepped up surveillance in the border villages following the seizures. “Law enforcement agencies have begun investigations to identify the networks involved in cross-border smuggling and to trace others linked to the seized consignments,” said a source.

BSF officers said that they would strengthen patrolling and maintain a strict watch on corridors suspected to be frequented by traffickers.

“The force will coordinate with other enforcement agencies to ensure such attempts do not succeed,” said a BSF officer.