DRI arrests 4 more for ‘smuggling’ 16 kg gold worth Rs 10 crore

According to DRI sources, after the arrest of 18 Sudanese nationals, all women, and an Indian national Suhail Poonawala, 23, on Monday, the DRI during further investigation learnt that Suhail was to collect the smuggled gold from the foreigners and hand it over to Yunus Shaikh.

“Shaikh would melt the smuggled gold and hand it over to Govind Rajput, who would eventually sell the smuggled gold in Mumbai’s gold market. Rajput would pay Shaikh as per the market rate,” the agency sources said.

The DRI officials also raided Rajput’s shop in Zaveri Bazar and seized cash worth Rs 88 lakh, which Rajput admitted was the proceeds of the smuggled gold.

Further, the anti-smuggling agency arrested Sudanese national Mohammed Osman from a Masjid bunder hotel and foreign currencies were recovered from him.

The foreign currencies were given to him by Mohammed Alam against the smuggled gold that Osman had brought on Monday, another source said.

The accused brought gold into India without declaring it, thus evading applicable customs duty on the imported gold.

DRI is interrogating the accused to find out who was the main handler of the racket. All the accused have been charged under Customs Act for smuggling gold.

9,409 kg ganja seized

In a one-day crackdown on illegal drugs and their handlers, Mumbai police have seized 9,409 kg ganja along with charas, mephedrone and other substances, an official said on Wednesday. During the special drive conducted on Tuesday, police registered 27 new cases under the NDPS Act and took action against 67 accused persons across the metropolis. — PTI