In one of the biggest crackdown on gold smugglers in recent years, the Customs department arrested three persons with nearly 9.5 kg of smuggled gold here, a senior official said on Tuesday.
According to the official, all three smugglers hail from Uttar Pradesh and had been staying in a city hotel in Kolkata's Zakaria street.
"Our senior officers were trailing a gang for some months. Acting on a tip, they raided a hotel in Kolkata's Zakaria Street and arrested three persons. Around 9.5 kg of gold bars have been seized from them," Partha Roy Chowdhury, the Commissioner of Kolkata Customs (Prevention), told reporters here.
"This is our biggest catch in recent times. Apart from Swiss gold, Australian gold was also found in the consignment. This is a new trend," he said.
The gold was smuggled into north-eastern India through Myanmar. From there it was brought to Kolkata, the official said.
--IANS
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