Zaveri Bazaar businessman, aides arrested for smuggling gold worth Rs 175 crore
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Last week, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted a gold smuggling racket involving 700 kgs of the precious metal, which was smuggled to Mumbai over a period of one and a half year. According to the DRI, the three member gang smuggled gold worth over Rs 175 crore in the last 18 months.
Two of the accused, identified as Suresh Rajpurohit and Natwar Chawda, were arrested while they were trying to smuggle the metal in a Mumbai-bound train. The duo were carrying around 12 kg of gold, worth an estimated Rs 3.5 crore, while travelling in the Kolkata-Mumbai train.
After receiving a tip off, officials boarded the same train and kept a close eye on the accused. When they alighted at Igatpuri station, officials searched them and made the arrest after finding the gold.
The duo later confessed that they were only carriers and worked for Mitesh Jain, owner of Hidant Creations at Zaveri Bazar. They also told officials that they had made made over 30 such trips, smuggling around 6-7 kgs of gold each time.
After Jain was called in for questioning, he admitted to having received 700 kgs of smuggled gold from Kolkata in the last 18 months. The gold was reportedly sent from Dubai to Bangladesh, from where it traveled to Kolkata.
All three accused have been remanded in judicial custody till August 19.
Officials believe that stringent checks at airports have forced smugglers to carry out their operations via trains, which have lesser security in comparison.
