Kolkata, July 1: The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has seized a significant amount of Indian currency near the India-Nepal border in Siliguri, West Bengal. Officials reported this development on Wednesday.
The money was confiscated during two separate raids conducted on Tuesday. It was being transported to Nepal without any valid documentation.
Authorities have detained two individuals, one Indian and one Nepalese citizen. Both have been handed over to the customs department for further legal action.
It is mandatory to declare large sums of money being taken to Nepal at the customs office. The first incident occurred around 10:15 AM on Tuesday at the BIT New Bridge in Panitanki, where personnel from the 41st Battalion of SSB were conducting routine checks.
During the search, ₹8 lakhs in ₹500 notes were found hidden in the belongings of a person traveling to Nepal by public transport. The individual was identified as 27-year-old Bigyan Rai, a resident of Khotang in Nepal’s Sagarmatha region. He could not provide any information regarding the large sum.
The second incident took place around 2:20 PM on the same day. During regular duty checks at the BIT New Bridge, the SSB team stopped a person traveling from India to Nepal in a private vehicle.
Upon searching the vehicle, ₹8,44,500 was recovered. The individual was identified as 37-year-old Sukram Tamang, a resident of Bogogari in Gangtok district, Sikkim.
An SSB official stated that both the seized cash and the vehicle have been handed over to the customs department.
On Tuesday, the SSB also seized 543 grams of brown sugar near the border in Bhatgaon, in collaboration with Bihar police. In this case, two individuals from Bihar, Mohammad Umar (23) and Mohammad Farukh (46), were arrested.
The official emphasized, “The personnel of the 41st Battalion SSB remain vigilant to prevent all types of crimes along the India-Nepal border. Regular operations are conducted based on intelligence to combat smuggling, human trafficking, and other offenses.”
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