Bangladesh: BSF on ‘high alert’


Escalating violence in Bangladesh has led to a spurt in smuggling of explosives from India into the neighbouring country — if seizures by the border guards are an indication.
Between Saturday and Monday, 32 kilogrammes of explosives were seized in two different raids from Malda and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal, a senior official of the Border Security Force said.
The latest seizure on Monday by troops of the 125 Battalion followed a raid near the Churiantpur BOP in the Kaliachak police station area of Malda.
Zaizul Haque, 23, an Indian national from the local Mohabbatpur village was nabbed with nearly 12 kg of low-intensity explosive.
‘There was a similar raid near Nimtita border outpost in the Sutia police station area of Murshidabad on Friday.
Troops of the 20 Battalion seized nearly 20 kg of low-intensity explosive during the raid.
These explosives are used in the homemade bombs used by political activists to create panic for enforcing strikes.
On Wednesday, the 125 Battalion conducted another raid near Churiantpur and seized pistols and ammunition and apprehended two Indian nationals.
The two were identified as Sakir Hussain alias Bakir, 40, and Abu Salam, 18, both residents of Mohabbatpur village.
Two pistols, four magazines and fourteen rounds of live ammunition were seized from them besides 145 bottles of Phensedyl cough syrup.
The BSF headquarters in Delhi has sounded a high alert to all of its frontier headquarters covering the Bangladesh border to heighten vigil for preventing smuggling of weapons or movement of wanted criminals. (source