KURNOOL: The Panchalingala checkpost on National Highway-44 near the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana border in Kurnool district has often seen police crackdowns on smuggling of gold, jewellery, diamonds and unaccounted cash.
On Sunday, the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) sleuths seized 8.25 kg gold biscuits and 28.5 kg silver biscuits worth Rs 5 crore and Rs 90 lakh unaccounted cash from five passengers travelling in a private bus from Hyderabad to Coimbatore, at the checkpost.
The accused were identified as Deva Raju, Selvam Raju, Meyalaga Murugeshan and Kumara Velu hailing from Salem and Venkatesh from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.
Speaking to the media, SEB CI Manjula said: “With the accused failing to submit reliable evidence in their support, we have seized the gold and silver biscuits along with the unaccounted cash. The accused, Venkatesh was dressed in a special jacket carrying gold biscuits. The cash was concealed in sleeper seats in the bus. The seized items and cash have been handed over to the Income Tax and GST officials for further investigation.”
The SEB sleuths in the span of 20 days, seized 9.634 kg gold, 57-carat diamonds and 28.5 kg silver, besides Rs 2.73 crore unaccounted cash, during checks at Panchalingala checkpost. As per official records, since June 1, 2020 the SEB seized as much as 40 kg gold and 320 kg silver.