In its biggest recovery haul, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police force has seized 108 gold bars of one kg each near the Indo-China border in Ladakh. It has also arrested three people, an official of the border guarding force said. Along with the hefty recovery of smuggled gold, the ITBP also recovered two mobile phones, a binocular, two knives, and several Chinese food items like cakes and milk.
The official further said, "This is the biggest haul of gold recovered by ITBP in its history. The seized material will be handed over to the customs department." Giving details of the recovery, the official stated that on Tuesday afternoon the troops of the 21st battalion of ITBP launched a long-range patrol in the Changthang sub-sector in eastern Ladakh. The sub-sector includes Chizbule, Narbula, Zangle and Zakla. The patrolling was initiated considering the rise in smuggling activities around the summer. According to the price of gold on Wednesday, the price of smuggled gold is over rs 84 crore.
ITBP received inputs
Moreover, the forces had also received inputs of smuggling in Sriraple, which is merely 1 km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the official added. While on patrol, the patrolling party headed by deputy commandant Deepak Bhat noticed two people on mules and asked them to stop.
The smugglers neglected the orders and tried to escape only to be arrested after a chase. Initially, the smugglers claimed that they were working as medicinal plant dealers but the search of their belongings revealed their reality as huge quantities of gold and other items were found.
The smugglers have been identified as Tsering Chamba (40) and Stanzin Dorgyal, both residents of Ladakh’s Nyoma area. Another person was also arrested in connection with the recovery. The ITBP and the police were jointly interrogating the arrested persons, the officials said.
(With PTI inputs)
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