By TIOL News Service

KOLKATA, JULY 09, 2018: THE Kolkata DRI officials on Saturday conducted an operation leading to seizure 10 gold bars bearing foreign inscriptions and weighing 1 kg each, totalling 10 kg from two persons travelling by a Maruti Suzuki Wagon R vehicle near Fulbari, Siliguri. ‘SGE’, ‘Metalor’, ‘Valcambi Sussie’ are the foreign origin brands found mentioned in the Gold Bars.

The interception took place when the smuggled gold bars were being carried by two persons from Bhutan to Muzaffarpur, Bihar.

Interrogation of the two intercepted persons reveals that they had smuggled the gold bars of foreign origin from Bhutan into India through Jaigaon- Phuentsholling border. The recovered gold bars were handed over by some Bhutanese origin nationals to the accused persons at a hotel situated in Phuentsholling, Bhutan, where the same had been concealed stealthily in the carrier vehicle and was supposed to be delivered further down stream in India to others.

The total seizure value has arrived at Rs 3.18 Crores. Both the apprehended persons have been arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.

On June 1, 2018 DRI in the same region had effected a seizure of 32 kg of Gold (near Siliguri) which was smuggled from China through the Nathula border.

In the previous financial year (2017-2018), DRI has seized close to 430 kgs of Gold and Gold Jewelry in the East and North East region collectively valued at more than Rs 110 Crores. In the current financial year, starting from 01/04/2018 till date, in the region spread over West Bengal and the North eastern states, the DRI has seized over 152 kg of Gold and Gold Jewellery valued at close to Rs. 50 Crores in the market, smuggled from Bangladesh, Myanmar ,Bhutan and even from China.