Kolkata, March 4 Directorate of Revenue Intelligence sleuths seized 50 smuggled gold biscuits with a market value of about Rs 2.53 crore from West Bengal's Darjeeling district in two different cases, an official said on Wednesday.
Two persons were arrested in this connection.
"On specific intelligence, two persons were intercepted on Tuesday from two different buses near Bidhan Nagar, Darjeeling district, on their way from Indo-Bangladesh border. 50 pieces of foreign marked gold biscuits cumulatively weighing 5.83 kg and having a market value of about Rs 2.53 crore were seized from the duo," the DRI official said.
The agency had received intelligence that huge quantity of foreign origin gold, smuggled into India from Bangladesh through the border in Coochbehar district, would be carried to Dalkhola, North Dinajpur district by two persons travelling by various North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) buses.
Accordingly, the DRI officers chalked out a plan of action and identified and intercepted the two persons near Bidhannagar on National Highway-27 where all the Dalkhola-bound NBSTC buses were due to pass through.
Hasanur Jaman, 37 was intercepted at around 10.40 a.m. from a Berhampur-bound bus of NBSTC) coming from Siliguri, while Latif Rahaman, 37, was intercepted at around 11.30 a.m. from another NBSTC bus with designated route from Siliguri to Malda.
"Both the suspects said that they were coming from Dinhata and confessed that they were carrying smuggled gold which they had hid around their waist tied securely with a cloth belt.
"On search of the two apprehended persons, 50 pieces of gold biscuits, having foreign markings of various countries were found.
"They admitted that the recovered gold had been smuggled into India from Bangladesh through the porous Indo-Bangladesh border along the district of Coochbehar.
"The smuggled gold was seized and both of them were arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act," he said.
In the current financial year so far, about 275 kgs of gold have been seized by DRI in West Bengal and Sikkim region.
( With inputs from IANS )