KURNOOL: Sleuths of Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) seized gold and diamonds worth Rs 1.04 crore on National Highway-44 at the Panchalingala check-post in Kurnool district in the early hours of Wednesday. The officials took two persons—Yaswanth Soni (32), a resident of Hasmathpet in Old Bowenpally, Secunderabad and Nikhil Raj Kumar Gonde, a resident of Kudali Wazar in Nanded of Maharashtra.
The duo was carrying jewellery to Madurai in Tamil Nadu from Hyderabad without valid documents in a private travels bus, SEB Circle Inspector N Lakshmi Durgaiah said. Acting on a tip-off, the SEB sleuths intercepted the bus and found 25 rings, 14 earrings, 42 pendants and 10 bangles from the duo. The Kurnool taluk police registered a case and investigation is on.
It may be mentioned that the Panchalingala check-post in Kurnool district is turning out to be a major transit point for smuggling of gold, silver and other precious stones. The Kurnool district police wing had seized over `8 crore unaccounted cash, nearly 29 kg of gold, 12 kg of silver and over 500 grams of diamonds during vehicle checks across the 10 interdistrict check-posts and five interstate check-posts in the district in the last two months.