KOLKATA: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Kolkata arrested five persons for their alleged involvement in the smuggling of 30 kg gold worth approximately Rs 8.79 crore, a senior DRI officer said today.
Acting on a tip-off, the DRI intercepted one person yesterday. The person owned a foreign currency exchange counter at Karunamoyee bus stand in Salt Lake.
The DRI recovered 166 pieces of gold biscuits and 1031.69 gm jewellery from his possession, a senior officer of the DRI said.
The value of 21.79 kg gold seized was around Rs 6.25 crore, the officer said.
The DRI officials after interrogating the person learnt that more gold consignments were about to enter the city via buses travelling from Dhaka through the Petrapole border.
Yesterday evening the DRI officers boarded two Kolkata-bound buses and questioned the drivers and the supervisors.
They admitted that they were carrying three packets of gold, a DRI officer said.
74 pieces of gold biscuits weighing 8.62 kg valued at Rs 2.53 crore were seized from the buses, he said.
The DRI seized a total number of 240 gold biscuits.
The DRI Kolkata, during this month, recovered 105 kg gold smuggled into India from Bangladesh and Myanmar, a statement issued by the DRI said.