15 kg gold worth crores seized in Kolkata

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized around 15 kg of foreign origin gold valued at Rs 4.72 Crore in Kolkata's North 24 Pargans district, the agency said on Thursday.

Acting on inputs, DRI sleuths intercepted a vehicle headed for Kolkata on Wednesday and seized the gold smuggled from Bangladesh that was being carried in the car for further delivery.

One person has been arrested and the vehicle was seized. The seized gold biscuits had "Al Etihad" and "Suisse" foreign markings and have been seized under the Customs Act.

The accused was on Thursday produced before the Barasat Court, the DRI said in a statement.

DRI is the lead agency to combat cross border crime involving smuggling of gold, consumer goods, drugs and narcotics, wild life articles, fake Indian currency notes and counterfeit goods, import-export frauds and trade based money laundering.

In the current financial year starting from April 1, in the region spread over West Bengal and the North eastern states, the DRI has seized over 105 kg of gold and gold Jewellery valued at close to Rs 31 Crore in the market, smuggled from Bangladesh, Myanmar and even Bhutan.

In the previous financial year (2017-2018), DRIA seized close to 430 kg of gold and gold Jewellery in the East and North East region collectively valued at more than Rs 100 Crore.

--IANS

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