Gold biscuits worth Rs 1.72 crore seized, 1 nabbed

Saha was apprehended during an operation conducted by the DRI, following a tip-off about the smuggling activities.

SNS | New Delhi | October 23, 2024 : The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested Gourav Kumar Saha, a resident of Dhubri, Assam, and seized 19 gold biscuits weighing 2.2 kg from his possession. The estimated market value of the gold is Rs 1.72 crore.

Saha was apprehended during an operation conducted by the DRI, following a tip-off about the smuggling activities.

According to sources, DRI officials began tracking Saha from Maynaguri and intercepted him near Dhupguri while he was traveling by bus. Upon his detention, Saha was brought to the DRI office in Siliguri for questioning. During interrogation, he revealed that the gold biscuits had been smuggled from Bangladesh and handed over to two individuals at the Indo-Bangladesh border in the Cooch Behar region.

Further investigations uncovered a smuggling network, with Saha disclosing the names of two to three individuals based in Siliguri and Jalpaiguri, to whom he was supposed to deliver the gold. The DRI is now expanding its probe to track down these accomplices and uncover the broader smuggling ring.

Saha was presented before the Siliguri ACJM Court today, where his bail plea was rejected. He is expected to be produced in court again in the first week of November as investigations continue. The DRI is working to trace the origins of the gold, which is believed to have come from the UAE, and to dismantle the smuggling network linked to cross-border operations between India and Bangladesh.