Members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have arrested a man with 10 gold bars worth approximately Tk2.28 crore while he was allegedly attempting to smuggle them into India through the Panchbibi border in Joypurhat.
The arrest was made on Friday morning in the Shalua border area of Panchbibi upazila, BGB officials said at a press briefing held in the afternoon.
The arrestee was identified as Mamunur Rashid, 35, son of Jalal Uddin of Ratanpur village in Panchbibi upazila.
Lt Col Latiful Bari, commanding officer of Joypurhat-20 BGB Battalion, said BGB personnel on patrol became suspicious of Mamunur’s movements as he was heading towards the border, claiming he was going to work in a paddy field.
During questioning, he allegedly admitted to carrying the gold. Based on his information, BGB members recovered 10 gold bars wrapped in polythene and concealed in the mud of a nearby paddy field.
The recovered gold bars are of 22-carat purity and weigh 1.185 kilogrammes (equivalent to 101 bhori, 9 ana and 2 rati). The estimated seizure value of the gold is Tk 2.28 crore.
BGB said legal action is being taken against the accused.
The border force also sought cooperation from local residents to help prevent smuggling, drug trafficking, human trafficking and illegal border crossings in the frontier areas.
