On 29 December 2023, Vigilant troops of Border outpost Petrapole, 05 Battalion BSF under South Bengal Frontier launched a joint operation with the Preventive and Intelligence Unit, Customs Department in the border area of District North 24 Parganas (West Bengal) and seized Clothing, cosmetics, motor spare parts, and other miscellaneous items worth Rs 59,81,428/- and Bangladeshi taka worth Rs 1,45,900/- in the operation. The smugglers had hidden the above-mentioned goods in a house near the international border with the intention of smuggling. The smugglers were soon going to smuggle these goods from ICP Petrapole in the guise of passengers.
According to the information, jawans of border outpost Petrapole received information from the Intelligence Department of BSF about a huge stock of illegal goods. The smugglers were soon going to smuggle from India to Bangladesh. On receiving the information, BSF personnel along with the Preventive and Intelligence Unit, Customs Department, Kolkata launched a joint search operation in the suspected area of their area of responsibility. During the search operation, a large quantity of goods was found in a suspicious shop in Petrapole market. In Which clothes worth Rs 31.25 lakh, cosmetics items worth Rs 10.57 lakh, medicines worth Rs 7.53 lakh, motor spare parts worth Rs 6.83 lakh, and other miscellaneous items worth Rs 3.62 lakh along with Bangladeshi currency worth Rs 1.45 lakh were seized. According to the information received from the officials, all the goods were kept illegally and the smugglers were planning to smuggle these goods in small consignments to Bangladesh in the guise of passengers.
The seized goods have been handed over to the Customs Department, Petrapole for further legal action.
Public Relations Officer of South Bengal Frontier while praising the BSF jawans and the team of Preventive and Intelligence Unit, Customs Department, Kolkata said that various agencies share information to stop smuggling across the border. Their base tries to catch the criminals by running effective operations. He further said that this is a reflection of the vigilance shown by the Border Security Force personnel. He has urged people not to adopt the path of smuggling under any circumstances. He said in strong words that Border Security Force personnel will not allow smuggling or any other type of crime to take place on the border under any circumstances and will not spare those involved in it.
