35 kg gold seized, three arrested including Nepali national

The directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) seized 35kg gold, the largest recovery of the yellow metal in north Bengal, from a car at Ghoshpukur late last night and arrested thee persons, including a Nepali national.

The DRI sources said 35 gold bars weighing 1kg each, valued over Rs 10 crore in total, had been seized at Ghoshpukur, 35km from here, after receiving a tip-off.

"After getting specific information, DRI officials intercepted a Maruti WagonR at Ghoshpukur around 12.30am today. They brought the vehicle to the DRI's Siliguri office where two waist belts wrapped in papers were recovered from the front seat. The belts were unwrapped and it was found that they had 35 gold bars," said DRI lawyer Ajay Chaudhuri.

According to initial investigation, said a DRI official who didn't want to be named, the gold had come from China and the arrested trio had received the contraband from Jaigaon on the India-Bhutan border.

"The gold was being smuggled to Calcutta. We are suspecting a racket is involved in the smuggling and it is using Siliguri as a transit point," said the officer.

DRI sources said they had found certain clues and after interrogating the arrested persons, details of others involved in the racket would emerge. #

The DRI sources said last night's seizure was the largest haul of gold in north Bengal.

Chaudhuri said one belt contained 20 bars, while the other one had 15. "The seized metal is of 24-carat quality. The price of the seized gold is Rs 10.56 crore. Apart from gold, the DRI recovered four cell phones and two SIM cards," Chaudhuri said.

"The arrested persons are Pramod Dewkota of Jhapa in Nepal, Bikash Sharma and Anil Yadav of Kharibari of Siliguri subdivision. Anil was driving the vehicle," he added.

They were produced in the additional chief judicial magistrate's court here and remanded in judicial custody for 14 days by judge Debanjan Ghosh.

In June last year, the DRI had seized 20kg gold worth Rs 5.40 crore from three Assam residents at Fulbari near here. The DRI had then said the gold had come from Myanmar and entered India through Manipur. (TT)