New Delhi, 13 Feb: Revenue Intelligence Officers have seized 24.4 kilograms of gold, valued at about Rs. 14 crore, being smuggled from Bangladesh to India and arrested eight people, the Finance Ministry said on Monday.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) launched an operation code-named ‘Operation Eastern Gateway’, to bust the gold smuggling modus operandi.
So far, DRI has seized over 1,000 kg of gold in this financial year.
A syndicate based in Bangladesh, Tripura, Assam and West Bengal was smuggling huge quantities of gold from Bangladesh to India through the Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura.
As part of the operation, various teams of DRI were strategically placed at different locations in West Bengal, Assam and Tripura, including at the Indo-Bangladesh border. Based on intelligence input, these teams arrested eight people.
The team at Siliguri recovered 90 gold strips, collectively weighing 18.66 kg, valued at Rs. 10.66 crore from the possession of four people.
Simultaneously, the team at Agartala apprehended one person and found two gold bars weighing 2.25 kg, valued at Rs.1.30 crore. (PTI)
Another team placed at Karimganj in Assam apprehended three persons and seized eight bars of gold weighing 3.50 kg, valued at Rs. 2.03 crore, from their possession.
“In the said operation, smuggled gold cumulatively weighing 24.4 kg, valued at approximately Rs.14 crore, was seized and all the eight apprehended persons were arrested. Further investigations are going on. The all-India gold seizure by DRI in this financial year has crossed 1,000 kg,” the Finance Ministry said in a statement. (PTI)