Siliguri, 25th January: In a significant breakthrough, the team of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) Siliguri foiled a gold smuggling bid worth Rs 5 crore from the Indo-Bangladesh border to Kolkata via Siliguri.
In addition, five individuals were arrested in connection to the case. The arrested accused have been identified as Sanju Pramanik, Mijanur Pramanik, Rafiqul Islam, Ismail Haque, and Matiur Rehman, all residents of Cooch Behar.
According to DRI sources, a group of smugglers planned to transport a large consignment of gold from Cooch Behar to Kolkata. The first group included Sanju, Mijanur, and Rafiqul, while, Ismail and Matiur took different routes. Significantly, the team of the Siliguri DRI Unit first launched a tip-off operation in Pundibari and arrested Sanju Pramanik, Mijanur Pramanik, and Rafiqul Islam from the bus.
During the search, 43 pieces of gold biscuits were recovered from their possession. Following interrogations, the DRI team arrested the fourth member Ismail Haque from the Kanchankanya Express train parked at Hasimara Dalgaon railway station and 15 pieces of gold biscuits were recovered. Later, the fifth member Matiur Rahman was arrested from the Padatik Express train at Alipurduar railway station and 14 pieces of gold biscuits were recovered.
Following the arrests, the DRI seized a total of 72 pieces of gold biscuits, weighing over 8 kg, from the smugglers. The market value of the seized gold is estimated to be about Rs 5 crore. On Thursday, the DRI team presented all five accused before the Siliguri court, where the judge ordered 14 days of judicial custody.