The Weekend Leader - DRI seizes over 10 kg smuggled gold, arrests 6 in Bengal

DRI seizes over 10 kg smuggled gold, arrests 6 in Bengal

Kolkata

16-October-2019

 Directorate of Revenue Intelligence sleuths arrested six persons and seized more than 10.5 kgs of smuggled gold along with Indian and Myanmarese currencies, cumulatively valued at Rs 4.20 crores, in two operations in Siliguri and Kolkata, an official said on Wednesday.

Acting on intelligence outputs, the DRI officers apprehended four persons, including a women, in Darjeeling district's Siliguri, from two buses on Monday.

One of the buses was coming from Shillong and the other from Guwahati. Both had Assam number plates.

On search, 38 gold biscuits, and a gold bar - having total weight of 7.308 kilos, concealed in the shoes of the suspects, were recovered.

In addition to smuggled gold, Myanmarese currency amounting to 100,150 kyats was recovered from one of the arrested persons.

The recovered gold and currency was then seized under the Customs Act, the official said.

On interrogation, the apprehended passengers disclosed their identity as Thomas Hmingthanmawia, Lalnunsanga, Lawnsanga, and Lalchuansangi.

"It was revealed that the gold was handed over to them in Aizawl by a Myanmarese national with the direction to hand over the same in Kolkata to a person whose details were supposed to be revealed to them by the Myanmarese national at an appropriate time," the official said.

The collective value of the goods seized was Rs 2.89 crore. The apprehended persons were produced before the judicial magistrate who remanded them to judicial custody.

In the second operation, acting on source information, the officers intercepted a bus on Tuesday morning near Ranaghat of Nadia district.

In the course of enquiry, two women passengers travelling together were picked up and on sustained questioning, admitted they had smuggled gold concealed in their luggage.

Baggage search of the duo led to recovery of 20 gold biscuits each weighing 166 gms, besides an amount of Rs 21,600.

The apprehended female passengers said they were handed over the gold by a Myanmarese national with direction to deliver the consignment in Kolkata.

"The specifics were supposed to be intimated at a later stage by the Myanmarese national," he said.

The total weight of the seized gold was found to be 3.320 kg, and its total value was ascertained to be Rs. 1,31,21,628.

The recovered gold and currency was seized and the two intercepted passengers arrested under the provisions of Customs Act.

In the current financial year so far, more than 90 kg of gold have been seized by DRI in the eastern region.IANS 



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