DRI seizes over 100 kg gold smuggled from abroad; 7 held

NEW DELHI: In a major crackdown on smugglers, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized over 100 kg gold in 48 hours during multi-city raids conducted by it, according to an official statement issued Saturday. It said that DRI officials seized 55 kg of gold bars (55 bars of 1 kg each) smuggled from neighbouring countries into India through land border.

The smuggled gold was seized from two persons travelling by a vehicle near West Bengal’s Siliguri, the statement issued by the DRI said. The smuggled gold bars were concealed in a specially-prepared cavity under the driver’s seat of the intercepted vehicle, the probe agency said. The gold bars, all of them of 99.99 per cent purity, have distinct Chinese and Australian foreign origin markings, it said.

The gold bars were supposed to be delivered by the accused to a recipient at Siliguri for its onward transportation, the DRI said. Both the apprehended persons have been arrested, it said.

In another operation conducted Saturday here, three persons, carrying 34 kg of smuggled gold (34 bars of one kg each), were intercepted by the DRI at the New Delhi Railway station. “This consignment is also suspected to have been smuggled into India through the land border with the neighbouring countries. In this operation, one foreign national was also arrested. The smuggled gold was found to be of Chinese and Swiss origin,” the release said.

In four other operations across the country in 48 hours, the DRI seized another 13 kg gold smuggled into India on flights arriving at Chennai, Bengaluru, Madurai and Indore airports from Colombo and Singapore, it said. In three out of these four cases, the gold was concealed under the life jacket pouch and hollow pipe under the aircraft seats, the DRI said.

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