Customs seizes gold worth Rs 3.26 crore from man at New Delhi railway station

Customs officials have seized over six kg of gold, worth Rs 3.26 crore, from the possession of a man at the New Delhi railway station, an official said on Monday.

Two men have been arrested in the case, he said.

"Acting on specific information, officers of customs (preventive) Delhi intercepted an individual at New Delhi railway station in the late afternoon of 19.11.2020, who had come from Howrah, Kolkata via Rajdhani Express," Hemant Rohilla, Deputy Commissioner, Customs (Preventive), Delhi, said in a statement.

Upon a personal search, around 6.3 kg of gold, valued at around Rs 3.26 crore, was seized from the possession of the man, he said.

The seized gold was in the form of biscuits and cut-pieces and is believed to have been smuggled into the country through the northeastern border, the officer said, adding that it is of "foreign origin".

"He has admitted to being a routine carrier, having carried around 2 to 6 kg of smuggled gold every time on 15 earlier occasions (since the imposition of the lockdown due to Covid in late March and its subsequent lifting). Thus, total value of the smuggled gold comes out to be around 60 kg valued at over Rs 30 crore (based on average values)," Rohilla said.

Follow-up searches were conducted and the receiver of the gold was also apprehended, he said, adding that incriminating documents and other evidence have been recovered.

Both the accused were placed under arrest by the officers of the Customs (Preventive), Delhi on Sunday evening for violation of the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962 and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody, the officer said, adding that further investigation is underway.