Thiruvananthapuram: A Border Security Force (BSF) commander held recently with Rs 47 lakh is suspected of having an unholy nexus with international smuggling rackets operating along the India - Bangladesh border and thereby posed a threat to the nation’s security, according to the CBI. The CBI had held BSF 83rd battalion commandant Jibu D. Mathew from the Shalimar Express about two weeks ago. He was serving at the South Bengal frontier near Murshidabad. He is a native of Pathanamthitta.
The CBI produced Jibu before the CBI special court on Monday as his 12-day CBI custody ended. He was remanded to judicial custody till February 26. The court will consider his bail plea on Wednesday. According to a report filed by the CBI opposing bail for Jibu, the accused had amassed illegal wealth by colluding with smugglers by misusing his official position. The cash seized from him was supplied by smugglers. The involvement of more BSF officials is also being probed.
The CBI was also learnt to have passed on the information revealed during the interrogations to central agencies like the Intelligence Bureau. Sources said that the Indo-Bengal border near Murshidabad was quite notorious for human trafficking, drug peddling and fake currency smuggling. There were also reports of many migrant workers in Kerala being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who managed to enter the country through the Murshidabad area.
