A gang of Bangladeshi smugglers allegedly orchestrated an attack on the on-duty personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) posted at the India-Bangladesh border in Cooch Behar after they foiled an attempt to smuggle cough syrup to the neighbouring country on Monday night.

A BSF jawan was injured in the attack and is currently under treatment, according
to sources.

Sources in the Guwahati frontier of the BSF said that on Monday night, when the troops were patrolling along the border in Narayanganj of Gitaldaha in Cooch Behar district, they spotted a group of alleged smugglers assembling on the Bangladesh side of the border fence.

“Those people were trying to cut the fence. The jawans challenged the persons and asked them to go back to Bangladesh. The criminals, however, ignored the BSF’s advice, and instead started hurling abuses at the troops and also threw stones at them,” said an officer.

In the stone pelting, one BSF jawan got injured. Others acted and managed to disperse the smugglers.

“The BSF personnel used non-lethal means to handle the situation despite the attacks on them. Later, as the BSF combed the area, they found around 50 bottles of cough syrup,” the officer added.

‘Infiltrators’

The BSF troops under the north Bengal frontier intercepted two Bangladeshi nationals who allegedly infiltrated India on Monday.

In Jalpaiguri, a woman from Naogaon district of the neighbouring country was apprehended by the BSF.

As she was frisked, two cellphones were found in her possession.

Later, the woman was handed over to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) through a flag meeting.

In South Dinajpur, the BSF apprehended a girl in Gosaipur, an Indian village near the international border.

As she couldn’t tell her where she was from, she was handed over to the Hili police station.