Kolkata: Border Security Force troopers apprehended three smugglers and nine intruders, besides seizing 300 bottles of cough syrup Phensedyl and 12 cattle on the intervening Friday-Saturday night during operations in different locations of the India-Bangladesh international boundary of four border districts in West Bengal, an official said.
The operation covered parts of Malda, Murshidabad, 24 Pargnas North and Nadia districts.
Four Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended from near border outpost Hakimpur under Swarupnagar police station while three other Bangladeshi nationals and an Indian citizen were rounded up from near border outpost Dobarpara under Gaighata police station of North 24 Parganas district.
Another Bangladeshi national was picked up during a raid near border outpost Boyraghat under Raghunathganj police station of Murshidabad district.
All the intruders were apprehended while they were crossing the international boundary illegally.
During preliminary questioning, the Bangladeshi intruders revealed that they came into India with the help of touts. The apprehended persons have been handed over to respective police stations for legal action.
Acting on a specific information, the troopers of border outpost Mohadipur apprehended a Bangladeshi national carrying four mobile phones while she was trying to cross the international boundary illegally. She was later handed over to the English Bazar police station of Malda district.
In another incident, troopers of border outpost Mahakhola apprehended an Indian national in an area under Chapra police station of Nadia district while he was trying to smuggle 13 kg of raw metal into the Bangladesh territory.
BSF troopers also seized 300 bottles of cough syrup Phensedyl from border areas.
During 2019, BSF troops of South Bengal Frontier have apprehended 301 Indian and 1,318 Bangladeshi nationals when they were trying to cross the international boundary illegally and managed to seize 1,41,482 bottles of Phensedyl.