BARPETA, Jan 23 � An alert family head not only saved himself from being duped by touts but also helped in unearthing a racket of gold smugglers. Two persons identified as Manoj Kumar and Nirup Kumar reportedly hailing from Purnia in Bihar arrived at the residence of Arup Das in Keotkuchi near here by motorcycle on Thursday afternoon. They told Arup that they clean gold ornaments.
Though Arup gave them some ornaments, he kept a vigil on their activities by hiding inside a cover. The touts after working for some time, kept a pressure cooker on an oven and asked the owners not to open it until it blows up. They were ready to depart after giving an assurance that they will return soon after visiting a neighbouring family. But Arup compelled them to open the cooker only to find some counterfeit ornaments. The original ornaments were found in their bags after a thorough search.
Both the touts were handed over to police. The incident has created a sensation here and Arup�s presence of mind has been hailed by the people. At a time when frequent reports of theft in the name of repairing and cleaning ornaments from all over the State have been coming in, Arup�s presence of mind is indeed praiseworthy.
