Smuggling, infiltration through Bangladesh border in Bengal drops drastically in COVID-19 times

The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted lives of everyone including contraband operators as smuggling of cattle, fake Indian currency notes (FICN) and marijuana as well as infiltration through the Indo-Bangladesh border in the West Bengal sector has dropped to an all-time low in the past few weeks, BSF officials said.

For decades, the porous Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal has been notorious for smuggling and infiltration, which has also been a burning political issue in the state.

"We have kept up the vigil. There has been no relaxation in that aspect. But in the South Bengal frontier region, smuggling, FICN trade, and infiltration have reached a rock bottom level. It's negligible," BSF IG South Bengal Frontier YB Khurania told PTI.

The illegal trade of FICN, gold, and marijuana has taken a hit in south Bengal due to the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown.

"The FICN trade mostly takes place at the Rajshahi sector of the Indo-Bangla border. The notes that they are throwing at this