An international gold smuggling syndicate is increasingly using the Jashore border as a route into India, with the Jashore-Narail highway emerging as one of the busiest corridors for the illegal trade.

Repeated drives around Nilganj bridge and Daitala bridge on the highway have led to the seizure of large quantities of gold bars by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).

Talking to The Daily Star, Lieutenant Colonel Golam Mahmud Saiful Alam Khan, commanding officer of Jashore Battalion (49 BGB), confirmed the highway was being used as a smuggling route.

"Gold consignments are coming from Dhaka and heading towards the border through Jashore," he said, adding that destinations varied, with smugglers at times heading for the Sharsha-Benapole border and at other times using the Chaugachha or Satkhira crossings.

"This means smugglers are using the Jashore-Narail highway as an important part of the long route connecting the capital with the border," he said, noting that this held true despite the presence of the 49 BGB headquarters and surveillance measures in the Nilganj area.

According to the BGB CO, gold is typically concealed in trouser pockets, on different parts of the body, and even inside private cars to evade detection.

From May to August 25 this year, BGB seized at least nine separate consignments of gold in the Nilganj and Daitala areas along the highway. A total of 11 people were arrested in the drives, while 60 gold bars weighing around 7.122kg were recovered, with the seized gold estimated to be worth around ৳14.24 crore, the commanding officer said.

Babul Kazi, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Jashore Kotwali Police Station, said smugglers considered the route safe, which was why they kept using it repeatedly.

The 11 arrestees are still in custody, he said.

Nilganj bridge: the busiest stretch

The largest number of consignments over the four-month period came from the Nilganj bridge area on the Jashore-Narail highway, near Jashore town, an area now gaining a reputation among locals as a "gold hotspot".

On May 7, BGB searched a private car in the area and recovered 26 gold bars weighing 3.048kg, valued at ৳6,58,70,867. Three people -- Israil Sardar of Jashore Sadar upazila; Abdul Gani of Chaugachha upazila; and Rony of Sharsha upazila -- were arrested, the commanding officer said.

On June 2, BGB arrested Liton Roy, a resident of Shankharibazar in Dhaka, with 12 gold bars weighing 1.397kg, worth around ৳2.03 crore.

On July 7, BGB arrested Ripon Mridha in Narail with four full gold bars and one half bar weighing 583.19 grammes, valued at around ৳1.20 crore.

On July 13, a further drive in the area led to the recovery of a gold bar weighing 116.62 grammes, worth ৳23,58,989.

The arrested man, Tajul Islam of Cumilla, told BGB he was carrying the gold from Dhaka through Jashore for smuggling into India via the Navaran border.

In a separate drive around the same period, BGB recovered two gold bars weighing 220.49 grammes, worth ৳46,28,085.

The arrested man, Sadikur Rahman Sumon, said the gold had been transported from Dhaka via Jashore and was destined for India through the Satkhira border.

On July 26, BGB made another major seizure in the area, arresting Sumon Mondal of Islamia Bazar village, Narayanganj Sadar upazila, with four full gold bars and one half bar weighing 680 grammes, valued at around ৳1,41,33,175.

Daitala bridge: a growing transit point

Nilganj is not the only point being used for gold smuggling. Daitala bridge, on the outskirts of Jashore town along the same highway, has also emerged as an important transit route.

On July 9, BGB arrested Toufiqur Rahman from the area with four full gold bars and one half bar weighing 535 grammes, worth around ৳1.09 crore.

On August 18, BGB arrested Osman Gani at Daitala bridge with two gold bars weighing 350 grammes, valued at ৳77,42,000.

Osman reportedly told BGB during preliminary questioning that he was carrying the gold from Dhaka through Jashore for smuggling into India via the Benapole border, the commanding officer said.

Most recently, on August 25, BGB arrested Mayur, 42, of Manikganj, at Daitala bridge with two gold bars weighing 192.45 grammes, valued at ৳ 44 lakh.

The bars had been concealed on his body; a smartphone and ৳1,600 in cash were also seized. Mayur told BGB he was travelling from Dhaka and intended to smuggle the gold into India through the Benapole border after passing through Jashore.

Although carriers are regularly arrested, the alleged masterminds and owners of the consignments remain beyond the reach of law enforcement.

BGB Sources said the masterminds operate from behind the scenes, providing money and using intermediaries to recruit carriers who rarely meet or communicate with them directly, allowing the ringleaders to stay concealed.

Despite interrogating those arrested, BGB has so far been unable to obtain information that could lead to the network's masterminds.