Directorate of Revenue Intelligence seizes 25 kg gold in Surat

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) sleuths have seized 25 kg gold worth of Rs 6.75 crore near the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) area in the city today.
"Acting on a tip-off, the DRI officials seized 25 kg gold worth Rs 6.75 crore from cavity of a Skoda car vehicle near Sachin SEZ area in Surat," a senior DRI official said.
The official said that the DRI's Surat unit got a tip-off yesterday that two people were trying to bring in gold from the SEZ.
Acting on the tip-off, the DRI has nabbed two persons with the gold bars hidden in the cavity of their car's back seat.

"The Surat regional unit of the DRI received intelligence, indicating that one vehicle of Skoda model with cavity will be used to divert the gold imported in Surat city's SEZ in the Sachin area," a DRI official said.
"A watch was kept by DRI officers, near Surat SEZ since yesterday and the said vehicle was intercepted under a flyover at the Sachin-Palsana Highway about 5 km from the SEZ gate," the officer said.

Two people nabbed with the gold have been identified as Bhavesh and Vijay Girase.
"Two people on the vehicle Bhavesh and Vijay Girase admitted that the vehicle carried 25 kg of gold," the officer said, the total quantity of diverted gold bars which amounts to 25 kg, valued at Rs 6.75 crores approximately, was seized.

The officer said that a new modus operandi has been adopted by smugglers by exporting the gold to the SEZ, where export duty on gold is not regulated. Later, they sneak the gold into the non-SEZ areas of the country.