Gold seized at Bagdogra, two arrested

TT, Siliguri, May 21: The customs department at Bagdogra airport arrested two persons yesterday evening and seized 3kg gold from them.

Officials said the duo are from Punjab and they were trying to smuggle the gold out of Bangkok into Delhi.

"The customs officials posted at Bagdogra recovered the gold from Amit Verma, a resident of Chandigarh, and Ankur Soni, who is from Mohali, during routine frisking," Ratan Banik, the lawyer representing the customs department, said. "They were carrying the gold, 1,344 tiny round pieces, wrapped in diapers. The total gold weighs around 3kg and costs about Rs 1 crore. They have also seized a machine used to melt metals," Banik said.

Sources in the department said Verma, 33, frequently travelled between Bangkok and Bagdogra and it was suspected that he was a member of a gold smuggling racket. "Every time, he would arrive at Bagdogra from Bangkok and go to Delhi by train. Yesterday, he was planning to smuggle gold into Delhi," said a source.

Both Verma and Soni were produced in the additional chief judicial magistrate's court today. "The court has remanded them in jail custody till June 4," Banik said.