DRI nabs four with 'biggest' gold haul-33 kg of gold bars

202 pieces of Gold bar weighs 33.532 kg and is valued at Rs.17,51,17,168

SNS, SILIGURI. 3 OCTOBER 20: In one of the biggest hauls, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) yesterday seized 33 kg of gold bars in Siliguri that were being smuggled into India from Myanmar and worth over Rs 17 crore. Four Rajasthan residents were arrested in this connection.

The DRI, which has been combating cross border crime involving smuggling of cigarettes, gold, consumer goods, drugs and narcotics, wildlife articles, fake Indian currency notes and counterfeit goods, import-export fraud and trade based money laundering, has seized around 300 kg of gold in West Bengal and Sikkim in the financial year of 2019-20, valued at more than Rs 115 crores, officials said.

In the current financial year, the figure of seizures is around 98 kg and valued at around Rs 52 crore.

Sources said four persons Nishant Kumar, 21, Deepak Kumar, 25, Raju Rani, 35 and Sunil Kumar, 32- -had been arrested from a lorry carrying the gold that was headed for Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan on Ghoshpukur bypass.

"Acting on intelligence inputs that a sizable quantity of gold of foreign origin smuggled from across the Indo- Myanmar border in Manipur, would be carried in a lorry through Siliguri, the DRI intercepted the vehicle. On rigorous questioning, they said that they were coming from Guwahati, but denied carrying any contraband with them. However, on intense questioning, they ultimately confessed that smuggled gold of foreign origin was actually being carried in their luggage. Thereafter, 202 pieces of gold which were secreted inside the luggage of the occupants of the lorry were recovered," a DRI official said.

The yellow metal weighs 33.532 kg and is valued at Rs.17,51,17,168.

DRI officials said that the four persons had admitted that the gold was smuggled from Myanmar through the border in Manipur and that they were carrying it for delivery at Sri Ganganagar.

They have been arrested under section of 104 of the Customs Act, 1962, it is learnt.