CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Police late on Tuesday seized 160 kg of raw gold found in a car near the International Airport. The car bears a Himachal Pradesh registration number and was on its way to
Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh from New Delhi.
Confirming the seizure, senior superintendent of police Kuldeep Singh Chahal told New Indian Express that as the code of conduct is in force in Punjab due to the Assembly elections, the car was flagged down on the road near the international airport for a routine check. “We found 160 kg of raw gold in three white sacks,” he said.
The gold is said to be worth Rs 25 crore in the market.
A police officer said the raw gold was brought into the country from Ghana in Africa. It was being transported from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi to Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh for processing into a purer form of gold. He added that about 90 kg of pure gold could be prepared from the consignement.
Sources said the vehicle belonged to a firm in Himachal Pradesh. Three persons -- Rakesh Kumar, Vijay Kumar and Surjit Singh -- have been arrested and a case of cheating and criminal conspiracy has been registered at the Sohana police station.
A police officer said that income tax and state excise department officials are jointly questioning the three men.