HYDERABAD: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 3.38 kg of smuggled gold worth Rs 3.36 crore of foreign origin at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) on Wednesday.
According to police, officials identified two suspicious baggage items that were left unclaimed. CCTV footage later confirmed that they had been deliberately abandoned. On examining one baggage, 1,261.800 grams of smuggled gold worth Rs 1.25 crore was recovered.
The passenger who abandoned the baggage was traced to Andhra Pradesh. On September 16, a DRI team intercepted him while he was travelling to Hyderabad. In his statement, he disclosed the identity of the handler in Kuwait who had instructed him to abandon the baggage. The handler who had returned to India was tracked down in Kadapa and later apprehended on September 17.
On detailed examination of the second baggage, gold concealed inside an iron box was recovered. This was valued at Rs 2.11 crore. The passenger involved was later traced to the YSR Kadapa district. In total, 3,379.600 grams of gold worth Rs 3.36 crore were seized.