BGB man dies trying to stop smuggling

A Border Guard Bangladesh member drowned in the bordering Sonai river after being tangled in a rope used for smuggling goods in Satkhira's Kolaroa on Saturday night.

The victim, Nayek Rafiqul Islam, 35, from Kishoreganj, was working at Kakdanga BGB camp.

Locals said the smugglers from Bangladesh and India smuggled goods through the river tying the goods to a rope.

When Rafiqul, who joined the camp two days ago, along with other BGB members was patrolling Dakkhin Bhadalia area along Kakdanga border, they chased some smugglers around 9:30pm on Saturday.

Rafiqul grabbed a rope tied to goods, they said. The smugglers then pulled the rope and Rafiqul fell into the river with his firearm.

Confirming the incident, Lt Col Mohammad Mohiuddin Ahmed Khandakar, commander of 33 BGB Battalion in Satkhira, said the body was sent to his ancestral home in Kishoreganj after an autopsy. 

The BGB official said they sent a protest letter to Tarali BSF camp in Bashirhat of India.

In another incident, a gang of smugglers attacked BGB personnel when they seized smuggled goods at Navaron Railway Station in Jashore yesterday morning. 

BGB member Neyamul Haque, 27, was injured in the attack. The BGB members seized a good number of Indian saris, jorda (edible tobacco), and firecrackers.

Lt Col Ariful Haque, commanding officer of BGB 49 Battalion, said the smugglers threw stones at the BGB patrol team when they seized the goods. The BGB members fired shots in the air, he added.

A case was filed with Sharsha Police Station in this connection.

[Our correspondents in Satkhira and Benapole contributed to this report]