Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has recovered nearly 200,000 cubic feet of illegally extracted stones from the Utmacha border area in Companiganj upazila of Sylhet.
On Tuesday (August 19), a special patrol team from Utma Border Outpost (BOP), led by Lieutenant Colonel Nazmul Haque, commander of BGB Battalion-48, conducted an operation in Adarshagram of Companiganj, where a huge stockpile of stones was seized.
According to BGB sources, Utmacha is naturally rich in sand and stones and has become a popular tourist destination.
For a long time, local syndicates have been illegally extracting stones from the area and stockpiling them in Adarshopara village with the intention of smuggling them elsewhere.
However, due to strict BGB surveillance along the border, poor transport facilities, and internal conflicts among the groups, the stones could not be trafficked out.
BGB officials initially estimated the volume of the recovered stones at around 200,000 cubic feet.
Later, a joint drive led by Sylhet Assistant Commissioner and Executive Magistrate Iphrahim Iqbal Chowdhury, along with BGB and police personnel, was launched to conduct proper measurements and initiate legal proceedings.
