DRI officials seize 4 kg gold worth Rs 1 crore

In a haul involving two separate incidents, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) Mangaluru seized about 4 kg of gold, valued at more than Rs 1 crore, at the Mangaluru International Airport and the Mangaluru Junction railway station on Saturday.

DRI deputy director Vinayak Bhat said in the first case, a couple from Kasargod were arrested for trying to smuggle 2.14 kg gold concealed in a belt worn by them. In the second incident, two passengers, who had smuggled gold from Nepal and were travelling in a train to Kozhikode, were nabbed with 16 gold biscuits concealed in the inner pockets of their pants.

Gold in belt

Acting on credible intelligence that two international passengers by name Hassan and Sameera of Kasargod are arriving by Spicejet Flight No SG-60 from Dubai and would attempt to smuggle gold into the country, the officers of the DRI mounted surveillance at the airport. On arrival of the aircraft, the said passengers were identified and intercepted at the Customs Green Channel and escorted to Customs Arrival area. During the check, both were found wearing skin-coloured waist belts with a heavy, brown-coloured rubber-like compound stuffed inside.

The compound was examined by a jeweller and taken to a gold-testing extraction centre. Under the supervision of DRI officers and independent witnesses, gold extraction was carried out. Gold of 23.99 carat purity weighing 2.14 kg was extracted from the compound. The value of the seized gold is around Rs 66 lakh, said Vinayak Bhat.

The contraband gold was later seized by the officers of DRI under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. The couple was arrested and produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mangaluru, and later released on conditional bail.

Gold in waistband

In another incident, based on a tip-off, the officers caught two passengers travelling from Panvel to Kozhikode in Marusagar Express at Mangaluru Junction railway station. During personal examination, the officers found heavy objects around the waistbands of their trousers. Cutting open the waistband, they recovered eight gold bars in each band. Both the passengers Moideen and Samsudheen admitted that the 16 gold bars recovered from their possession were of foreign origin and smuggled by them while travelling from Dubai to Kathmandu a few days ago.

During the interrogation, they added that after being cleared at the Kathmandu International Airport they entered India from at Birganj. They boarded the Marusagar Express (No 12978) at Panvel and were on their way to Kozhikode. The 16 gold bars weighed 1.865 kg and were worth around Rs 56 lakh

The passengers were arrested and produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate on Sunday. Further investigation is in progress.