GUWAHATI:
The Border Security Force (BSF) has been able to bring down trans-border smuggling of various goods from India to Bangladesh at the jurisdiction of Guwahati Frontier during this year, said a spokesperson of Guwahati Frontier of BSF on the occasion of the 58th raising day on December 1.
From January 1 to date the troops of BSF seized Rs 11.72 crore in smuggled items, including cattle heads, Phensedyl, Yaba tablets and Ganja under the jurisdiction of Guwahati Frontier, the spokesperson said.
According to the BSF, the troops rescued 8,678 cattle heads, seized 41,876 bottles of Phensydyl, 5,023 kg of ganja, 43,719 Yaba tablets (worth Rs 2.18 crore), and fake currencies with a face value of 5,13,000 during the year.
The troops also arrested 139 Indian and 82 Bangladeshi smugglers during this period.
Guwahati Frontier has been assigned to guard Indo-Bangla Border in West Bengal and Assam covering 509 km. To secure the assigned international border between India and Bangladesh, a total of 11 BSF Battalions & one Water Wing with various types of Water Crafts are deployed at 145 BOPs under 03 Sector Headquarters.
The BSF faces varied types of challenges in securing the international borders because of the terrain, demography, social economy dynamics and indulgence of a few elements of the border population of both India and Bangladesh in trans-border crimes in bordering Coochbehar in West Bengal, Dhubri and South Salmara Mankachar in Assam which fall under its jurisdiction.
“It is a matter of pride that despite facing various challenges of complex nature on the complex Indo-Bangladesh border. The troops have performed its assigned tasks up to the utmost satisfaction of the Centre and the state governments and the border population,” he said.
BSF has also improved its relationship substantially with Border Guards Bangladesh through various confidence-building measures.
“As part of such programmes, the troops organize mutual exchange programme where officers and other ranks of both the forces visit each other for training purposes to develop better synergy between both the border guarding forces,” the official said.
“Day and night SCPs (Simultaneous Coordinated Patrols) are being carried out by BSF and BGB,” he added.