Bid to smuggle sugar to Bangladesh foiled, 1 held

SHILLONG: BSF troops have thwarted an attempt to smuggle sugar worth Rs 30 lakh to Bangladesh as they seized a sand-laden truck carrying the consignment in Meghalaya, a BSF official said on Saturday.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of BSF intercepted the truck carrying sacks of sugar, hidden in a layer of sand, in Sonapur area of East Jaintia Hills district on Friday, and the driver failed to produce valid documents supporting the export of the commodity, he said.

Preliminary probe revealed that the consignment was to be smuggled to Bangladesh, the official said.

1 held for smuggling 2,000 turtles

A Tamil Nadu native, Zakir Hussain Kaja Mydeen, was apprehended by Customs for smuggling 2,000 Red-eared Sliders and Trachemys Scripta turtles worth several lakhs from Kuala Lumpur. The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) intercepted Mydeen based on specific intelligence and discovered the turtles concealed in his baggage. These turtles, considered invasive species, were later sent back to Kuala Lumpur. Mydeen intended to sell them in Chennai for a profit of Rs 30 lakhs. Officials believe Mydeen is part of a smuggling syndicate bringing such species into India.

Customs seizes eight kg of gold smuggled from Sri Lanka

Customs Intelligence Unit in Tamil Nadu seized 8 kg of gold worth Rs 5 crore, smuggled from Sri Lanka. The gold was found hidden in a country boat intercepted near Munthalmunai. The boat did not have a registration number. The officials also discovered gold hidden in a buoy off Dhanushkodi coast. In total, 8 kg of gold was recovered. The department is investigating the boat owner and the smugglers involved.

MBA graduate arrested for smuggling medicines

Delhi Police's Special Cell arrested a 41-year-old man, Ashwani Kumar alias Ashu, who is an MBA graduate, for running a medicine racket. He was apprehended in Rohini Sector-24 and was found to be involved in procuring and supplying alprazolam. The police recovered alprazolam worth Rs 2 crore from his possession, along with 13 cartons of tablets. Ashu's three associates, Mohammad Faizan Beg, Mohammad Zubair, and Rekha, were arrested earlier.

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