Revenue Officers Pose As Train Passengers, Seize 11 kg Of Smuggled Gold

 KOLKATA: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officers boarded a train as "passengers" and caught two smugglers with over 11 kg gold at the Indo-Bangla border, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.

The interception was made at the Majhdia railway station in Nadia district near the border on Monday, it said.

Acting on input about a syndicate involved in gold smuggling, the DRI officials followed an elaborate plan and in a skilfully-executed operation boarded the train, scanned the passengers and successfully identified two people. 

The officers stopped the duo as they were deboarding the Gede-Ranaghat local train at Majhdia, the statement said.

Search of the two men resulted in recovery and seizure of 100 biscuits of foreign-origin gold of 116.64 g each, totally weighing 11.66 kg valued at Rs. 3.77 crore concealed in specially-tailored waist belts, it said.

The duo has been arrested and produced before the judicial magistrate, who has remanded them to judicial custody, the statement said.

With this seizure, in the current financial year in the region spread over West Bengal and the north-eastern states, the DRI has seized about 395 kg of gold and gold jewellery valued close to Rs. 123 crore.

These seized gold are believed to be smuggled from India's land borders with Bangladesh.