Gold weighing over 6 kgs without documents seized in Bengaluru

Two policemen belonging to the City Market police station have caught two men who carried more than six kilograms of gold worth Rs 3.5 crore in a scooter late on Friday night.

The suspects — Dalpet Singh, 34, from Mumbai and Vikas, 35, from Rajasthan — did not have proper documents for the gold. Police learnt that the unaccounted jewellery belonged to SS Jewellers in Nagarathpet and the duo works for them.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Sanjeev M Patil said head constable Hanumantha and constable Anand who manned the vehicle checkpoint near Doddapat Circle stopped a Honda Activa at 11.15 pm. The vehicle had registration number KA-50-Q-7833.

The policemen found a large quantity of gold and the duo on the bike could not produce proper documents for the valuables they were carrying. Police seized about six kilograms of gold jewellery along with the scooter and arrested the duo.

IT officials alerted

DCP Patil said the police would notify the Income Tax and other department officials concerned for further action.

An investigating officer said the duo tried to bribe the policemen. But they refused to accept the bribe and alerted the higher officials. Jewellers made it a practice to transport unaccounted gold in the night and would offer bribes up to Rs 1 lakh if caught. But their luck ran out this time, the officer said.

The seized jewellery includes 65 neckless, seven sets of bangles and earrings of about 150 grams each.

Singh and Vikas procured the ornaments from Mumbai and elsewhere via courier, showed samples to big jewellery stores in the city and sold them without documents. This way, they sidestepped paying 30 to 48% tax.

During interrogation, Singh and Vikas confessed that they have been doing this for nearly a year. “We are interrogating further to find more details,” the officer said. Senior officers applauded the alertness of Hanumantha and Anand who unearthed the illegal business.