DRI busts gold smuggling syndicate, seizes 31.7 kg gold worth Rs 19 Cr
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted a syndicate involved in the smuggling of foreign-origin gold through land route and train route. In an operation involving DRI teams across three locations, a huge quantity of smuggled gold weighing around 31.7 Kg valued at around 19 crore rupees was seized at Varanasi, Nagpur and Mumbai on Friday and Saturday.
The Nagpur Team apprehended two carriers of gold when they alighted at Nagpur railway station from a train that started from Kolkata. 8.5 Kg foreign marked gold was recovered from them. From their interrogation, two receivers of the smuggled gold were also identified and apprehended.
The Varanasi Team managed to apprehend two of the accused and the car when they were travelling in UP, with the help of local police, after a 3-hour dramatic chase on the road and a search operation inside the forest. About 18.2 Kg of gold was recovered from the two persons and from a cavity made below the hand brake of the car.
The Mumbai Team managed to trace 5 accused on the roads of Mumbai after they had travelled from Varanasi by train, carrying gold. A total of 4.9 Kg of gold was recovered from them.
The syndicate used to smuggle gold brought into India via the borders of Bangladesh and further diverted the same to Mumbai, Nagpur and Varanasi. With due diligence and coordinated plan of action of DRI officials, a total of 11 persons have been arrested, out of which 5 people were arrested in Mumbai, 2 in Varanasi and 4 in Nagpur.
