Kolkata, March 5 (IANS) DIG and Spokesperson, N K Pandey, South Bengal Frontier, BSF said on Wednesday that they have arrested a Bangladeshi woman with 24 carat gold bangles at Petrapole crossing in the North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal.
“Around 8.20 am on Tuesday, jawans of the 145 Bn BSF were carrying out routine checks of people entering India through ICP, Petrapole. When a mahila constable moved a hand-held metal detector across the body of a woman, there was a distinct beep. On checking, they found that the woman was wearing three gold bangles on each wrist. There was no record of these ornaments in her travel documents,” DIG Pandey said.
He added that the woman was asked to remove the ornaments and they were tested for purity.
“Expert declared that the gold was of 99.75 per cent pure gold. The accused said that the bangles were a gift from her husband. The bangles weighed 103.090 grams and the value of the gold is Rs 8,82,966,” he said.
DIG Pandey said that the woman claimed that she was on her way to Kolkata for treatment and is a resident of Comilla in Bangladesh.
“However, she was taken into custody, as per law,” he said.
DIG Pandey said that later, the accused was handed over to the concerned authorities for further legal proceedings.
“Had it not been for the quick thinking of the BSF troops, the gold, which is normally seen in the form of biscuits or bars, would have got smuggled into India,” Pandey added.
He added that this could be a new strategy adopted by smugglers.
–IANS
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