Kolkata, Oct 23: The Border Security Force (BSF) has apprehended a minor boy with 11 gold biscuits along the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB) in the North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal.

The incident has brought to light how smugglers are now using minors as couriers to evade arrest.

“Troops of the 143 Bn BSF, South Bengal Frontier, deployed at the Bithari Border Outpost, had received intelligence inputs of an attempt to smuggle gold in their area of jurisdiction. During checks, they came across an Indian minor carrying a briefcase. During a search, a black packet with the 11 gold biscuits were found in his possession,” a senior BSF official said.

According to an official, the weight of the seized gold is 1,286.17 grams. It is valued at around Rs 1.64 crore.

During questioning, the boy said that he is a resident of Daharkanda village in the Swarupnagar police station area of North 24-Parganas. He also said that he had been sent by his mother to deliver the packet to a designated point.

The boy has been handed over to concerned authorities, along with the gold, for further legal processing. A search has been launched for the boy’s mother and others involved in the racket.

“This recovery once again underscores the alertness, professionalism, and commitment of BSF troops in curbing cross-border smuggling along the India–Bangladesh border, despite attempts by criminal networks to exploit minors for such illegal activities,” the official said.

While stating that the BSF personnel are fully capable of preventing all kinds of illegal activities along the border, he urged the border population to report any information regarding gold smuggling or other crimes to ensure peace in the area.

“They can call the Seema Sathi Helpline Number 14419 or send a WhatsApp text or voice message to 9903472227. Those providing credible information would be suitably rewarded and their identities kept confidential,” he said.

Navi Mumbai, October 23: Four persons have been booked for allegedly sexually harassing and assaulting an 18-year-old girl after forcibly entering her residence in Sanpada, police said on Thursday.

According to officials from the Sanpada Police Station, the incident took place on the night of October 20 when one of the accused, who had earlier claimed to be in love with the victim, arrived at her home along with three associates.

The group allegedly barged into the house, confronted the girl, and touched her inappropriately. When the victim resisted and asked them to leave, one of the men reportedly attacked her with an iron rod, causing injuries.

During the altercation, the victim’s brother tried to intervene but was also physically assaulted by the accused. The group fled the scene soon after the incident, police said.

Following a complaint, a case was registered against four persons, two of whom are yet to be identified. They have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for sexual harassment, assault, and house trespass, officials confirmed.

As of Thursday, no arrests have been made in the case. The police have launched a manhunt to trace the accused, and further investigation is underway.

Authorities said the statements of the victim and witnesses have been recorded, and medical examination reports are awaited.

“The accused will be arrested soon. We are verifying their backgrounds and gathering evidence,” an officer from Sanpada Police Station said.

New Delhi, Oct 23: Hours after executing one of the biggest crackdowns on the inter-state crime, the Delhi Police made some startling disclosures about the Bihar gangsters’ intention and motive to disrupt the upcoming Assembly elections and also how the four criminals found a ‘safe haven’ in the capital.

Addressing a press conference, Surendra Kumar, Joint CP of Delhi Police Crime Branch, said that the gang of four criminals had been hiding in the national capital for the past several days and were traced and confronted after receiving inputs from Bihar Police about their whereabouts.

He told the press that the Sigma gang’s kingpin, Ranjan Pathak, carried a reward of Rs 25,000 and was wanted in at least eight criminal cases.

The four gangsters of the notorious Sigma gang, responsible for some high-profile killings in Bihar, were also plotting to conduct a major criminal operation during the upcoming Assembly elections, the senior cop told the press.

According to police, they also committed a murder in Bihar after the election code of conduct came into effect on October 6.

He said that further investigations are underway and the police are interrogating known acquaintances of the accused to dig deep into the gangsters’ motive.

The sigma gang members were killed in an encounter with Delhi police, in the wee hours of Thursday, as the latter launched surveillance on key inputs from Bihar Police and laid a trap in the area. A pistol was recovered from the accused, and a stolen car was recovered.

During the police operation in North-West Delhi, the criminals opened fire at the police team and were injured in retaliatory gunfire. They were taken to a hospital in Rohini, where doctors declared them dead.

The operation was carried out by a joint team of the Delhi Police Crime Branch and the Bihar Police.

The four most-wanted were identified as Ranjan Pathak (25), Bimalesh Mahato alias Bimalesh Sahni (25), Manish Pathak (33), and Aman Thakur (21). They were all residents of Sitamarhi district in Bihar and were part of the ‘Sigma Gang’.