Porous border of NE with Bangladesh, Myanmar make gold smuggling easy: DRI

The porous stretches of north-eastern India's borders, especially around Mizoram, with Myanmar and Bangladesh continued to be extensively used for gold smuggling, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said.

Agartala: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has stated that the porous borders of Northeastern states, especially Mizoram with Myanmar and Bangladesh, are extensively used for gold smuggling. A press statement on the recent gold seizures in the North East by the DRI indicated a spurt in the smuggling of gold through the NE borders of Bangladesh and Myanmar.

"While the porous borders have been used for smuggling in the past, 11 cases of gold seizures of 121 kg in September 2022 alone show that the NE corridor is still extensively being used by smugglers deploying ingenious ways of concealment," the statement said. Acting on specific intelligence and in three coordinated interceptions at Patna, Delhi, and Mumbai, the DRI has seized 65.46 kgs of foreign-origin gold worth Rs 33.40 crore.

The gold was consigned from Aizwal to Mumbai in domestic courier consignment. The gold was concealed in gunny bags declared as clothes. In yet another case of smuggling through the same route, the DRI seized another big haul of smuggled foreign origin gold weighing approximately 23.23 kg and valued at Rs 11.65 crore (approx) which was being smuggled from Myanmar.

"Specific intelligence indicated that substantial quantity of foreign origin gold will be attempted to be smuggled from Champhai-Aizawl, Mizoram to Kolkata, West Bengal by concealing them in a vehicle. To interdict the contraband, coordinated action was undertaken on 28 and 29 September 2022. The DRI officers mounted surveillance on the highway connecting Siliguri to Guwahati," the DRI said.

The DRI identified two vehicles with four passengers and intercepted them. "The gold, in this case, was cast to fit in the specifically made cavity inside the cross-member metal pipe connecting the right and left rails of the chassis. This was behind the rear wheels and suspension in both vehicles. The recovered gold had been smuggled into India from Myanmar through the Zokhawthar border in Mizoram. Four persons have been arrested in the case so far," it added.