15.93 kg of smuggled gold worth INR 8.38 crore seized in Nagaland and Assam

Our Reporter
Dimapur, May 13 (EMN): The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (RDI) on Thursday seized 15.93 kg of foreign-origin gold in Guwahati and Dimapur, smuggled through the Indo-Myanmar border.

The Ministry of Finance updated that the foreign-origin gold smuggled worth INR 8.38 crore was seized from the two cities in a significant operation, code-named “Gold on the Highway”, against organised gold smuggling syndicates.

“Five persons of the syndicate have been arrested and three vehicles were seized in the operation. Further investigations are in progress,” read the update.

Acting on specific intelligence, the DRI officers set up surveillance on two oil tankers and a truck travelling separately from Mao in Manipur to Guwahati in Assam, before the three vehicles were intercepted simultaneously at different points along the National Highway between Dimapur and Guwahati, informed the ministry.

It added that 96 pieces of gold biscuits weighing 15.93 kg were found carefully concealed in different parts of the intercepted vehicles during an intensive search.

The update said that the DRI has seized a 833 kg of gold valued at INR 405 crore during its operations across the country during the fiscal year 2021-22, out of which 208 kg of gold worth INR 102.6 crore were “smuggled through the highly sensitive Indo-Myanmar and Indo-Bangladesh border”.

The intelligence and enforcement agency remains committed to continuing its relentless crackdown against the perpetrators of such crimes, it said.

It may be recalled that Nagaland Police had seized smuggled gold weighing about 48.14 kg worth approximately INR 22, 78, 46, 620 crore at Khuzama in Kohima last year. It was believed to the biggest seizure of gold in Nagaland so far.