BENAPOLE, Oct 01: Jashore border area has become a paradise for gold smugglers. The number of smuggling cases is increasing these days.
In the past three years, members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized around 150 kilograms of smuggled gold, said Lieutenant Colonel Shahed Minhaz Siddique, commanding officer of the Jashore-49 BGB.
The market price of the recovered gold is around Tk 800 million (80 crores), he added.
According to customs officials, the district border is being used as a transit point for gold smuggling. Gold is regularly smuggled using the border area of India and Bangladesh.
The masterminds behind gold smuggling, however, remain untouched, they said.
Most of the smuggling incidents take place through Shikarpur, Bhaberber and Daulatpur of Benapole and Sharsha, said BGB officials. Besides, gold is smuggled through Putkhali, Goga, Rudrapur, Kaiba, Manoharpur, Kashipur, Shalkona and Pakshia areas, they added.
Rakibul Islam Chowdhury, President of Bangladesh Jewelry Traders Association, Jashore, said, "The masterminds involved in gold smuggling are never arrested. Only the carriers are caught."
The gold smugglers are tarnishing our image as businessmen, he added. Abdur Rashid Mia, joint commissioner of Benapole Customs House, said, "Our officials are always alert to prevent any incident of gold smuggling."
Echoing the same, Lieutenant Colonel Shahed Minhaz Siddique said BGB's intelligence team is working to break up the gold smuggling syndicates.
"Whoever is involved in gold smuggling will not be spared," he warned. [email protected]
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