Regarding seizure of Silver in granules form -9.975 Kgs, with an apprehension (women)by C Coy Panitanki

In a major anti-smuggling operation, security personnel apprehended a woman with nearly 10 kilograms of suspected silver granules during a special checking drive at BIT Panitanki, near the India–Nepal border, on Wednesday. Acting on specific inputs and corroborative intelligence from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Siliguri, a special search operation was launched on 29.01.2026 under the command of SI/GD Vikramsingh Choudhary, assisted by four other personnel. The operation was conducted at Panitanki Old Bridge, approximately 400 metres from the International Border (INB). At around 12:45 PM, a woman matching the suspect description was intercepted at the Old Bridge area. During a thorough check of her handbag, officials recovered suspected silver granules. Upon questioning, the woman identified herself as Devi Klla Khadka, aged 42 years, wife of Mun Bahadur Khadka, a resident of Khotang, Jhapa District, Nepal. During interrogation, the accused admitted that the silver had been handed over to her by an unknown Indian national at Bagdogra for delivery to a person in Nepal. She further disclosed that she was promised NPR 4,000 for carrying out the task and confessed to having engaged in similar smuggling activities earlier. The recovered silver was weighed in the presence of DRI officials, SSB personnel, and independent witnesses, and the total weight was found to be 9.975 kilograms. Officials confirmed that the smuggling route was from India to Nepal. Details of Seizure: Location: BIT Old Bridge, Panitanki Operation Type: Special Search Operation Direction of Smuggling: India to Nepal Recovered Items: Silver granules – 9.975 kg Mobile phone – Vivo Y35 (01 unit) with two SIM cards (Jio India & Ncell Nepal) A total of five SSB personnel were involved in the operation, including one SI/GD, one ASI/GD, and three CT/GD personnel. Following the seizure, the apprehended woman along with the confiscated silver and other seized items was handed over to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Siliguri (Darjeeling, West Bengal) on the same day for further legal action. Officials stated that investigations are underway to identify the smuggling network and individuals involved in cross-border trafficking activities.