Bengal: BSF captures 8 intruders, cough syrup smuggler

Border Security Force personnel apprehended eight Bangladeshi intruders, and a smuggler of cough syrup Phensedyl, during raids in different locations of the India-Bangladesh border around Tuesday-Wednesday midnight, officials said.

Troopers from the BSF's Amudia outpost of the South Bengal frontier apprehended a Bangladeshi national from the border area under Swarupnagar police station in North 24 Parganas district.

Two other Bangladeshis were apprehended from Ghojadanga outpost area under Basirhat police station of North 24 Parganas district, while five Ind were rounded up from Ramnagar border outpost under Hanskhali police station of Nadia district.

All the eight apprehended persons had crossed the international boundary illegally from Bangladesh and entered Indian territory.

Besides, one Indian was apprehended from Gunarmath outpost area under Bongoan police station of North 24 Parganas district when he tried to cross the border illegally from India to Bangladesh.

During preliminary questioning, the intruders revealed that they attempted to cross the international boundary illegally with the help of touts.

Meanwhile, the BSF troopers seized 1,171 bottles of Phensedyl worth Rs 1,80,651 during raids. The cough syrup bottles were being smuggled to Bangladesh through the different locations of the International Boundary of the border districts of Malda, Murshidabad, North 24 Parganas and Nadia.

Acting on specific information, the troopers of Sasani outpost of Malda district carried out a special operation and at about 11.55 p.m. observed eight-ten men advancing towards the Indo-Bangladesh Border Road (IBBR) from the mango orchard.

The troopers challenged the men to stop and surrender, but the latter paid no heed and tried to assault the BSF personnel with sharp weapons.

Sensing threat to their life, the troopers fired one round in the air in self-defence and the smugglers tried to ran away from the spot.

The troopers chased and apprehended one of them, identified as Bishu Miya, a resident of Gopalnagar village under Kaliachak police station of Malda district, the officials said.

The other miscreants, however, managed to escape by taking advantage of darkness and dense mango orchard. The whole area was searched and nine plastic bags containing 950 bottles of Phensedyl were recovered from the spot.

In raids at other locations, 221 more bottles of the cough syrup were seized.

So far this calendar year, the BSF personnel of South Bengal Frontier have apprehended 296 Indian and 1,288 Bangladeshi nationals when they were trying to cross the international boundary and seized 1,49,360 bottles of Phensedyl.

( With inputs from IANS )