Lucknow: Sultanpur police arrested three persons for smuggling gold bars into India from Nepal on Monday. The arrest was made while the consignment was being shifted from Gorakhpur to Prayagraj, via Sultanpur by road.
The gold bars weighed 1kg and were valued at Rs 60 lakh. They had Australian markings on them.
A senior police officer said that the arrested persons have been identified as Ramji Kumar, Akhil Kumar Bhat, and Sawan Kumar. They have been arrested under the Customs Act. The accused are in their early 30s and were carriers of the gold, which was to be delivered to someone in Prayagraj.
“Acting on a tip-off from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), four teams were deployed on all the highways connecting Sultanpur from its adjoining areas. Several vehicles were intercepted, and the occupants frisked. However, one vehicle moving in a suspicious manner did not stop and was chased and intercepted,” the police said.
The vehicle was checked, and a team of sniffer dogs was also called. The gold bars were recovered from a cavity in the seat, the police said.
The accused have been produced in court and remanded in police custody.
