
14.7 kg of smuggled gold seized at Kochi Port
KOCHI: In a major crackdown, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday seized 14.7 kg of gold from a baggage that arrived at Kochi port. Even though gold seizure from airports is common in Kerala, it was after years of gap that gold was seized from a sea port in state.According to DRI officers, following the seizure, searches were carried out in various locations in Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. The seized gold is valued at Rs 7.2 crore which is the highest one this year.
“A Malappuram native booked and sent the shipping cargo from Dubai. The gold was cleverly concealed inside a refrigerator. There were more than 120 gold biscuits. The person who sent the cargo reached Kerala in a flight a few weeks ago. The ship arrived last week. He was in Kochi to receive the cargo. We have taken him into custody and interrogation is on. We are also conducting searches at his residences and places named by him during the interrogation,” sources said.
DRI suspect that the gang involved in gold smuggling had used the sea route earlier. “With gold being seized at airports frequently, the gang switched to ship cargo route. We suspect that they had carried out smuggling in a similar manner before. It is also being investigated whether any Customs officials is involved.
Related Posts
Corrections officer pleads guilty to smuggling pot, tobacco into prison
A corrections officer at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex pleaded guilty...
UPDATE 1-Former wine collector gets 10 years in prison for counterfeiting
An Indonesian man, once considered one of the world's top wine collectors but who...
Solon seeks congressional probe on cigarette smuggling in PHL
A lawmaker has asked Congress to investigate the illicit trade of cigarettes in...
Gold, foreign currency, iPhones, cigarettes worth Rs 2.65 crore seized by Chennai Air Customs; 7 arrested
Chennai: In separate cases, Chennai Air Customs officials seized 4.77 kg gold...