HYDERABAD: Sleuths from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday seized 25 kg gold worth Rs 11.5 crore from a vehicle intercepted on the Vijayawada-Hyderabad national highway.
DRI arrested three persons, identified as Vinod Kushwa, Vijay Goel and Satyaveer Singh, and said the gold was possibly headed towards poll-bound Chennai.
“The accused were acting as mules and have been booked under Customs Act. They are natives from Delhi and have been produced in court,” a source said. The vehicle bearing Assam registration number started from Kolkata and was going to Chennai after a halt in Hyderabad to avoid getting caught. The seizure was done at Panthangi toll plaza.
Sources in DRI said the origin of gold was probably Switzerland, but the markings on the gold were partially erased and the entire consignment was stashed inside the dashboard. The accused failed to produce any documents. DRI has been tracking gold smuggling due to elections in several states.