DRI seizes Rs 3.30 cr worth smuggled gold in Bengal

Kolkata, Nov 22 (IANS) The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized smuggled gold worth around Rs 3.30 crore from near the Indo-Bangladesh border area at Habra in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district.

Although DRI sources have claimed that the smuggled gold consignment was seized while it was transported to Kolkata from a village near the international borders, there was no confirmation of the exact time.

Two persons have been arrested in this connection and they have been identified as Sanjay Barik and Rajesh Saha.

While Barik is a resident of Habra, Saha hails from Ashokenagar, both in North 24 Parganas district.

It is learnt that based on specific information that huge smuggled gold is being brought to Kolkata from near the internal borders in a particular vehicle, the DRI sleuths started shadowing the vehicle silently.

Finally after being sure of the information, the DRI sleuths stopped the vehicle near Habra.

On thorough frisking of the vehicles, the gold consignment was discovered under the rear seat, sources aware of the development said.

A total of 32 gold biscuits and 27 gold bars, weighing 5.3 kilograms were seized.

The estimated price of the seized consignments in the market is around Rs 5.3 crore. The arrested persons have been brought to Kolkata and presented at a lower court, which remanded them to judicial custody till December 5.

Sources said that in face of interrogations, the two arrested persons have confessed that the gold consignment was smuggled for Bangladesh and were meant for delivery for some gold- jewellery manufacturing entities at Posta in central Kolkata.

DRI sleuths, the sources added, are now trying to track the main brains behind this smuggling racket.