Officers chase smuggler, seize gold biscuits worth Rs 4.7 crore

The incident happened at Barasat in the northern fringes of the city on Wednesday night.

KOLKATA: In a Bollywood style chase sequence, agency officials chased a gold smuggler in a car and rammed at his vehicle from a side as it crashed into a lamp post and came to a halt. As the officials pulled the driver out of the car and searched the vehicle, 15 kg of smuggled gold biscuits valued at Rs. 4.72 crore were found and were subsequently seized by the officers Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.

The incident happened at Barasat in the northern fringes of the city on Wednesday night as DRI officials, based on a specific tip off, tried to stop the SUV, which sensing trouble, began speeding when the officers gave them a chase.

The seized biscuits had foreign markings “Al Etihad” and “Suisse” suggesting they were imported from UAE and Switzerland respectively. “It looks like the gold was smuggled from Bangladesh from the Basirhat area and was being carried in the vehicle for delivery to some clients in Kolkata,” an official said. The arrested person was produced before a Barasat court and was taken in police custody.

DRI is the leading agency to combat cross border crime involving smuggling of gold, consumer goods, drugs and narcotics, wild life articles, fake Indian currency notes and counterfeit goods, import – export frauds and trade based money laundering. In the current financial year, starting from April 1, the region spread over West Bengal and the north eastern states, the DRI has seized over 105 kgs of gold and gold jewellery valued at close to Rs 31 crore in the market, smuggled from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan.