DRI seizes 16 egg-shaped capsules of gold paste; 4 held

As per the press release issued on Sunday, the DRI received specific intelligence about smuggled gold being transported from Mumbai to Pune by a person travelling in a bus.

The DRI team intercepted the bus at Talegaon toll plaza on Saturday and nabbed the person carrying the gold.

During searches, two pouches having 16 egg-shaped capsules of gold in paste form were recovered from the person.

Probe revealed that the suspect was asked to hand over the smuggled gold to another person in Pune.

Subsequently, during further investigation, the DRI officials arrested three more persons, who included the gold supplier and his accomplice from Mumbai and a person who was going to receive the gold consignment in Pune.

“All four accused accepted the smuggled nature of the gold and that they had been operating as an organised syndicate,” the DRI press release stated.

DRI has booked the accused persons under the provisions of Customs Act, 1962.

DRI sources said the seized gold capsules are suspected to have been smuggled to Mumbai from a foreign country, most likely from Dubai.

Sources said that the capsules are specifically prepared from gold paste, so that they do not get detected in metal detectors. It is suspected the some person concealed the capsules in his private parts and smuggled it to Mumbai through an international flight.