Kolkata: The Election Commission’s emphasis to curb the use of money power in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections in Bengal has contributed to a major seizure of foreign-origin gold worth over Rs 4.69 crore being recovered at Mayurhat Railway Station under the Gede border outpost in Nadia on Saturday.
The gold recovery under the Ranaghat Parliamentary constituency led to the detention of four Indian nationals, including a woman, all residents of Nadia.
Reportedly, the gold was smuggled into India from Bangladesh. The seized items and apprehended per-sons have been handed over to DRI Kolkata Zonal Unit.
Meanwhile, the customs have seized narcotics worth Rs 2.09 crore under Kolkata North Parliamentary constituency. During the scanning of a parcel inside an X-ray machine, some discrepancy was found. Later Narcotics substances containing (4189) tablets (weighing 1.680 kg) of different colours were re-trieved and seized.
The figure of the seizure, as per reports from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Bengal has crossed Rs 147.12 crore.
The Commission has earmarked six of the 42 Parliamentary constituencies of Bengal as financially sen-sitive. This is the first time that constituencies in Bengal have been declared as financially sensitive.