KOLKATA: Troops of the Border Security Force (BSF), South Bengal Frontier, nabbed an Indian smuggler with four 7.65 mm (.32 bore) pistols of US make, eight magazines and 10 rounds of live ammunition along the India-Bangladesh border in the North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal on Sunday.
During the search, 75 bottles of Phensedyl (a cough syrup banned in Bangladesh) were also found in the house of Prahlad Gain (46) in Bongaon.
Bangladesh has repeatedly raised concerns about the proliferation of small arms across the porous border with India that most often than not end up in the hands of fundamentalist outfits attempting to oust the Awami League government in power through violence.
Though improvised firearms have been detected along the border, this cache of sophisticated pistols is a first in the last several years.
"We received intelligence inputs and troops of the 158Bn, posted at BOP Gunarmath, were alerted. Around 2.30 am, Gain's house in Puratan Bongaon was located and cordoned off. Nobody answered the door but Gain was caught while trying to flee through a window. Other civilians were brought to the house and they were led in with Gain for the search operation. The women members of the family were isolated as per law by our Mahila constables," a senior BSF official said.
During the initial search, two pistols and four magazines were found inside a hole for the water pump behind the bathroom. Subsequently, two more pistols, four magazines and the bullets were found in the overhead tank. The Phensedyl bottles were kept in the kitchen. The entire search operation was supervised by Surendra Singh, officiating CO, 158Bn, in the presence of Panchayat members and other villagers," he said.
According to the BSF, Gain admitted during preliminary investigation that he also ran an illegal currency exchange racket at ICP, Petrapole, with one Md Ghiyasuddin of Jayantipur village.
He allegedly confessed that he has been involved in smuggling for several years now. Gain, along with the seized items, have been handed over to the Bongaon police station.