STF nabs B'deshi national, seizes huge amount of foreign currency

Kolkata: The Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police has nabbed a Bangladeshi national and seized a huge amount of money in US Dollar and Bangladeshi Taka from Burrabazar area on Friday morning.

According to police, the accused person had got the money after selling smuggled gold to a gold merchant in Burrabazar.

According to sources, on Friday morning STF officials came to know that a Bangladeshi national had come to Burrabazar area, following which an STF team went to Sonapatty in Burrabazar.

After keeping vigil for some time, police spotted the man and informed the STF team. The suspect, identified as Md. Sohel Rana of Chandpur in Bangladesh, was intercepted at the crossing of Amartala Lane and Amartala Street.

Initially, Rana tried to confront the STF personnel, but later police detained him and took him to Burrabazar police station. There, his belongings were searched and a huge amount of money in US Dollar and Bangladeshi Taka was found.

After counting, police found that Rana was carrying 32,500 US Dollar and 11,732 Bangladeshi Taka inside a bag.

He was subsequently asked for documents regarding the foreign currency, but Rana failed to provide any document or satisfactory answers. Later during interrogation, Rana told the police that he had come to Sealdah from Gede by train after crossing the Indo-Bangla border with smuggled gold.

He then went to a gold merchant in Sonapatty and sold the gold in exchange for the foreign currency. He was supposed to return to Bangladesh by Friday evening, availing the same route.

Police are trying to locate the merchant to whom Rana had sold the gold. Later, a case was initiated at the Burrabazar police station and Rana was arrested.