Siliguri, 07th June: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) team arrested two individuals with gold worth crores. The arrested accused have been identified as Sonaullah Sikdar (34) and Dibakar Das (46). Sonaullah is a resident of Assam, while, Dibakar is said to be a resident of Katihar, Bihar.
According to information, the DRI team, acting on a tip-off, conducted an operation near Raidak bridge of National Highway (NH) 17, under Tufanganj, Cooch Behar. During this, Sonaullah Sikdar was riding a motorcycle with his father. On the basis of suspicion, the DRI team stopped the vehicle and conducted a search.
During the search, a total of 16 pieces of gold were recovered from a secret hidden chamber inside the shoes of Sonaullah Sikdar. Upon being interrogated, Sikdar revealed about an individual named Dibakar Das. According to him, Dibakar was on his way to Dalkhola with a sample of gold, via train.
Subsequently, on the basis of the information, the DRI team conducted an operation yesterday on Dibrugarh-Delhi Rajdhani Express at NJP railway station in which Das was searched. During this, one piece of gold was recovered from him.
According to DRI sources, gold was being smuggled from Bangladesh to India via Assam. DRI also revealed Dibakar Das as the main mastermind behind the crime. A total of 17 pieces of gold have been recovered from the accused. The total weight of the seized gold is 2 kilograms, 481.500 grams, whose estimated market value is more than 1 crore 48 lakh rupees.
In this regard, defense lawyer, Akashdeep Shil termed his client to be innocent. Today, both the accused have been arrested and produced before the Siliguri Court. The court directed for 14 days of judicial custody.