A 22-year-old youth, Suleman Hossain, was brutally murdered in Sonamura over a gold smuggling dispute. Police detained a woman linked to a cross-border network, as investigations expose the dangerous criminal nexus threatening local youth near the Bangladesh border.
Sonamura witnessed a shocking act of violence on Tuesday night as 22-year-old Suleman Hossain was brutally murdered, allegedly over a dispute tied to gold smuggling operations along the Indo-Bangladesh border. The incident has triggered tension and unrest in the area since Wednesday morning.
According to police sources, Suleman was lured to a secluded location late at night by a group of 4–5 individuals suspected of being part of a smuggling racket. He was reportedly assaulted and later killed. His body was discovered early Wednesday morning, abandoned near the Sonamura Hospital premises in a vehicle. The discovery drew large crowds, forcing police to intervene and restore order.
In connection with the murder, Sonamura police detained a woman identified as Ruksana Begum, a resident of N C Nagar, a border village. Investigators suspect her involvement in a cross-border gold smuggling network.
Family members of the deceased alleged that Ruksana and her associates are active participants in illegal smuggling activities. They claimed that gold biscuits are thrown across the border fence from Bangladesh, collected by local operatives in Sonamura, and later transported to Agartala and Kolkata through intermediaries.
Three days before the killing, smugglers had reportedly sent gold biscuits worth nearly ₹1.2 crore across the border. Suleman was entrusted with retrieving the consignment but failed to secure it. This failure, according to preliminary investigation, may have led to his abduction, assault, and murder.
Suleman’s mother provided a chilling account, revealing that her son had called her at around 2:30 AM on the night of the incident. He reportedly said he was being beaten, but hours later, his body was found lifeless.
Police have launched a thorough investigation to track down all those linked to the smuggling syndicate. Authorities stated that efforts are underway to dismantle the cross-border network and ensure justice for Suleman.
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The brutal killing has highlighted the growing threat of organized crime in border regions, where youth are increasingly being lured into high-risk smuggling activities. Locals have urged stronger security measures and stricter monitoring to prevent such crimes in the future.
