DRI seizes 32kg gold from Siliguri, Indo-China border routes on radar

Rohit Khanna | TNN | Jun 1, 2018, KOLKATA: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence on Thursday seized 32 kg gold at Siliguri when the yellow metal was being smuggled from China into India. The seizure, one of the largest in recent times in eastern and north-eastern India, has brought the focus again on gold being smuggled from China.

In a seizure at Barasat in July last year the central agency stumbled upon a consignment of gold that was being sneaked into the country from China. While gold smuggling from China has been on the rise in the rest of India, the illegal gold market in West Bengal was fed mainly by the metal sneaked in from Myanmar and Dubai. In past one-year gold smuggling from Dubai has come down while the Myanmar-Moreh (Manipur) route has become more active.

During interrogation of the three accused persons, involved in the 32 kg gold haul, DRI officials found that the gold was smuggled from China and then was taken into India through Indo-China border in Sikkim. It was then headed for Kolkata from there. The accused persons hired a car from Sikkim and were heading towards Kolkata via Siliguri when they were intercepted. Upon search DRI officials found 32 gold bars fastened to their waists with the help of specially tailored belts. The accused persons, residents of Maharashtra, had also rented a house in Siliguri. During searches Rs 20 lakh were recovered from their possession.