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Punjab: DRI Ludhiana catches man smuggling ₹80-lakh gold from Thailand
A detailed search was conducted in the presence of independent witnesses, and a panchnama was prepared
The directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI), Ludhiana zonal unit, on Friday busted an organised gold smuggling network operating across multiple states. The operation led to the seizure of foreign-origin gold worth approximately ₹80 lakh and the arrest of a carrier linked to an international smuggling syndicate.
According to officials, intelligence inputs indicated that gold smuggled from Thailand was being brought into India by air and subsequently transported to Punjab through a well-planned distribution chain. Acting on this information, teams from the DRI Chandigarh regional unit positioned themselves at Ambala junction to intercept an identified carrier travelling by train from Kolkata.
After alighting from the train at Ambala, the suspect boarded a bus heading towards Ludhiana. The bus was intercepted, following which the DRI officers identified, detained, and apprehended the carrier. During preliminary questioning, the accused revealed that he had travelled from Kolkata to Delhi and then onwards to Ambala while carrying foreign-origin gold. He further disclosed that the gold had been smuggled into India from Thailand by flight and was meant to be delivered in Punjab on the instructions of members of an organised smuggling syndicate.
A detailed search was conducted in the presence of independent witnesses, and a panchnama was prepared. During the search, 601 gm of foreign-origin 24-carat gold, valued at approximately ₹80 lakh, was recovered and seized. The accused was subsequently arrested under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
DRI officials said that further investigation is underway to trace the source of procurement, financial and hawala channels, previous consignments and other members of the syndicate. Efforts are also being made to establish both backward and forward linkages of the smuggling network.
