With the festival of lights around the corner and the demand for gold shooting up, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 24.926 kilograms of smuggled gold in a melted form worth around Rs 7.47 crore.
Five persons have been arrested in this connection.
Officers of DRI Mumbai Zone Unit (MZU) on Wednesday, intercepted Anand Dubey at Pydhonie junction near Zaveri Bazaar. Upon searching Dubey, the officials recovered 7,470 grams of gold in the form of jewellery.
The officials said Dubey had just received the gold from two smugglers who had brought it into India from across the Myanmar border.
Dubey’s workplace was also searched, which resulted in the recovery of gold that bore foreign markings. These bars weighed 7,769 grams. On further inputs, another 7,769 grams of gold in various forms was recovered. A furnace where the melting of such smuggled gold was done to deface foreign markings was searched, which led to the recovery of this molten gold that had no licit documents or accounts.
The carriers of the gold, identified to be Lalnunzira Laldawnglina, Lalrinchhana Valpuia and Malsawndawngzuali Laldawnglina, and who handed over the gold to Dubey at Pydhonie, were also apprehended.
Lalnunzira and Malsawndawngzuali were identified as cousins.
The manager of the furnace, Govind Gupta and recipient Dubey were arrested and will be remanded to judicial custody. However, the three alleged carriers have been granted bail.
