A total of 28 kg of gold, valued at over Rs.7 crore in the international market, was seized in this West Bengal town Thursday. Four smugglers, including two from Nepal, were arrested, an official said.
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) sources said the seized yellow metal included 23 gold bars – each weighing one kg – and 18 gold biscuits of weight between 300-350 gram each.
Acting on a tip-off, DRI sleuths arrested the four people – all members of an international smuggling gang – at Uttarayan area when the two Nepal residents were handing over the gold to their Indian contacts.
The gold was found in secret chambers made inside the luggage boot of a vehicle.
The gold had been brought from Nepal to India and there were plans to smuggle it to Delhi via Siliguri and Kolkata.
The seized gold pieces had markings of countries like Switzerland, Australia and Thailand.
All four accused have been sent to jail till Dec 31.
IANS)