12 kg of gold smuggled from Sri Lanka seized

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 12 kg of gold biscuits allegedly smuggled from Sri Lanka through sea and arrested two persons, who attempted to smuggle the contraband to Madurai.

Acting on a tip-off, DRI officials launched a vehicle check-up at Oriyur Vilakku Road near Thiruvadanai at 3.50 a.m. on Saturday and seized 65 pieces of gold biscuits – 50 pieces with foreign markings and the rest foreign gold in odd sizes, totally weighing 12 kg and worth Rs.3.34 crore.

Sources said the contraband was smuggled from Sri Lanka and received at Pasipattinam near Thondi. Smugglers, identified as H.Mustafa Amin (40) from Kilakarai and A.Ahmed Kabir (43) from Pudupattinam near Thondi, were carrying the gold to Madurai when the officials intercepted the car and arrested them.

After interrogation at Thiruvadanai, officials produced the accused before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate court in Madurai, the jurisdiction court, which remanded them to judicial custody.

The officials have entrusted the seized gold with the customs department. They have also seized the car used for the smuggling.

This was the fourth major seizure in this region in the last five months and in all the four cases, gold biscuits were smuggled from Sri Lanka through sea route indicating “thriving smuggling activities” in the coastline.

The marine police of the Coastal Security Group (CSG) had seized 34 kg of gold at Mandapam, the first major seizure on February 22.

Later, the DRI had seized 15 kg of gold at Kannirajapuram, a coastal hamlet on March 29, and 23.5 kg of gold biscuits at Palkarai near here on June 3.(The Hindu)