The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) nabbed eight passengers from the New Delhi Railway Station and seized 504 gold bars concealed in their clothes, it said on Saturday.
These gold bars were being smuggled into the country from Myanmar through the international land border at Moreh in Mpur, DRI's Delhi Zonal Unit, which conducted the drug bust said.
"The market value of the recovered gold is close to Rs 43 crores. DRI intercepted 8 passengers who had arrived at New Delhi Railway Station on Friday afternoon by Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdh Express and seized from their possession 504 smuggled gold bars of foreign origin collectively weigh 83.621 kgs," the press release issued by the DRI added.
According to it, the officials of the Delhi Zonal Unit intercepted these eight passengers after they arrived at the railway station on Friday, August 28.
"The gold bars were found to be concealed in specially tailored cloth vests worn by these passengers. The carriers of the smuggled gold were found to be travelling on fake identities (Aadhaar card)," it said further.
The DRI further informed that the smuggling syndicate recruited poor and needy individuals from several parts of the country to act as carriers of smuggled gold by luring them with the prospect of quick and easy money.
"The smugglers used air, land and rail routes to locally transport the smuggled gold. The aforesaid 8 carriers have been arrested under the Customs Act, 1962 and remanded to judicial custody. Further investigation is in progress," the DRI said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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