Revenue officials seize gold worth ₹ 28-crore at Indo-Myanmar Border
The DRI seized 55.61 kg of gold valued at ₹ 28 crore from eight persons at two locations, Delhi and Lucknow, said the Ministry of Finance
The Delhi Zonal Unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Thursday seized 55.61 kg of gold valued at ₹ 28 crores from eight persons at two locations, Delhi and Lucknow, said the Ministry of Finance. The DRI received information regarding the smuggling of a huge quantity of foreign origin gold from Myanmar into India through the Indo-Myanmar border, as per an official release.
"Five passengers were intercepted by officers of DRI, Delhi Zonal Unit near Delhi, and three passengers were intercepted by the officers of DRI, Lucknow Zonal Unit at Lucknow. A search of the persons resulted in the recovery and seizure of 335 gold bars, weighing 55.61 kg. The said eight persons have been apprehended," the official release said.
The Finance Ministry said that the officers of DRI have made a string of spectacular gold seizures in the past six months. These include the seizure of 51.33 kg of smuggled gold in November, last year by the DRI Guwahati Zonal Unit, seizure of 84 kg and 66 kg of smuggled gold in August and November 2020, respectively, by the DRI Zonal Unit.
"The spurt of economic activity seen after the lifting of COVID-related lockdowns throughout the country, combined with the pent-up demand for gold, coincided with a surge in such smuggling activities. The blocking of air routes through the lockdown period also saw a significant shift in the modus operandi of smugglers from the air routes to the land route through the Indo-Myanmar border," the Ministry said.
Anurag Thakur visits DRI office
MoS Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur visited the office of DRI, Delhi Zonal Unit and congratulated the officers for confiscating the 55.61 kg gold from the smugglers.
While greeting the DRI officers, Thakur said, "Our qualified officers of DRI have successfully caught hold of the smugglers. Their loyalty, dedication, and technology has helped in preventing tax evasion and increasing revenue." He added, "I will personally visit have outperformed and set new benchmarks in tackling smuggling activities, their valuable insights must be exchanged within the system for the benefit of all."
(With ANI Inputs)
Published By : Swagata Banerjee
Published On: 22 January 2021 at 14:57 IST