Tax authorities seized 33.5 kg of gold from a truck in Siliguri, 4 people arrested (Representation)
Calcutta:
In one of the largest gold recoveries in recent times, the Tax Intelligence Directorate (DRI) seized 33.5 kg of the yellow metal from a truck in Siliguri, according to a DRI statement.
Gold is valued at Rs 17.5 crore, he says.
Agency officials acting on information intercepted the truck on Friday morning.
The truck was en route between the Indo-Burmese border in Manipur and Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, the statement said.
The four occupants of the truck during questioning said they were from Guwahati and denied carrying contraband items with them.
After being grilled, they confessed that they were carrying 202 contraband gold coins which were hidden in their luggage, he said.
They confessed that the gold coins were smuggled from Myanmar at the Manipur border and were being transported to Sri Ganganagar for delivery.
The four were arrested under the Customs Act, the DRI said.
In the current fiscal year, the agency seized around 98 kg of contraband gold worth Rs 52 crore in West Bengal and Sikkim.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
