[caption id="attachment_201827" align="aligncenter" width="565"]
The seized gold bars.[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Imphal, Aug. 18: Eighteen contraband gold pieces in ‘rectangular form’ weighing more than three kilograms and valued around INR 1.06 crore were seized from five alleged smugglers in Manipur from two different locations around Imphal, customs officials said on Saturday.
In the first incident, four persons who were travelling to Dimapur in Nagaland in a passenger Tata Winger, were arrested from Koirengei bazar in the outskirts of Imphal along the Imphal-Dimapur highway on Friday afternoon (around 4 pm) for allegedly trying to smuggle 16 gold pieces in rectangular form with a marking which read “Fine gold 999.9” worth INR 94.55 lakhs from their shoes and stroller bags, said N Meiraba, Superintendent of the Imphal customs division’s anti-smuggling unit.
The gold pieces weighing 3206.2 grams appeared to be of “foreign origin” to be smuggled from Imphal to Dimapur and further to Mumbai by train, the officer said.
The four – identified as Sanjay Kumar Krishnani (32), Jayram Parbati Manglani (40), Harish Nanikram Shringi (44), all from Ulhasnagar, Thane district
Maharashtra and Umesh Laxmandas Darda (32) from Aurangabad, Maharashtra were arrested on the basis of “specific information,” said the customs officer.
Simultaneously, as a second instance, officials of the same customs unit seized two gold pieces in rectangular form with a marking which read “Fine gold 999.9” weighing 399.9 grams valued at INR 11.79 lakhs from one alleged smuggler from North AOC area in Imphal on Friday, the officer said.
The arrested person Dilip Rajkumar Laljani( 29) also from Ulhasnagar, Thane district Maharashtra, had concealed the two gold pieces in his rectums.
Stating that the collective weight of the seized precious metal came up to 3606.1grams valued at INR 1,06,34,389, the SP Customs division Imphal Meiraba said that the necessary cases have been registered and investigation is going on.
With the recent seizure, the Imphal customs division’s anti-smuggling unit has so far seized INR 8 crore worth contraband gold weighing around 30 kilogram and booked 22 individuals under 21 cases since April 1, 2018. Besides, the unit also seized 1 lakh WY Amphetamine tablets worth around INR 3.05 crore in the international market from four persons during the above period.
On March 9, 12 Assam Rifles personnel seized 97 gold bars amounting to INR 4.8 crore from a Maruti van that was plying from Moreh in Tengnoupal district to the state capital.
