DRI, coast guard officers seize 32 kg gold worth Rs 20 crore in Tamil Nadu

During the course of interception, the persons in the fishing boat dropped the contraband parcel into the sea.The contraband parcel containing 11.6 kg of foreign origin gold valued at Rs 7.13 crore was retrieved from the seabed with the help of coast guard expert divers and the same was seized along with the boat used for smuggling the gold.In the night of May 30, a second suspected fishing boat was identified and the DRI officers approached towards it.

The officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Indian Coast Guard have seized over 32 kilogramme of gold worth Rs 20.21 crore in two cases in Tamil Nadu, the finance ministry said on Thursday.

''In a joint operation, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), with the help of Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Mandapam & Ramnad Customs, Preventive Division, intercepted two fishing boats and seized 32.869 kg of foreign origin gold valued at Rs 20.21 crore that was smuggled into India from Sri Lanka through the coast,'' an official statement said.

Specific intelligence was developed by DRI, Chennai, that foreign origin gold is being smuggled from Sri Lanka through Vedhalai coast in Ramnad (TN) by different gangs using fishing boats. Accordingly, the DRI officers mounted extensive coastal surveillance with the help of ICG and identified the suspected fishing boats.

In the first case, one of the suspected fishing boats was intercepted by a team of DRI officers and coast guard officers on May 30 after a chase in the sea. During the course of interception, the persons in the fishing boat dropped the contraband parcel into the sea.

The contraband parcel containing 11.6 kg of foreign origin gold valued at Rs 7.13 crore was retrieved from the seabed with the help of coast guard expert divers and the same was seized along with the boat used for smuggling the gold.

In the night of May 30, a second suspected fishing boat was identified and the DRI officers approached towards it. On spotting the Indian Customs boat, the receivers of smuggled gold parcels tried to escape into dark with the smuggled gold. The officers chased the receivers and nabbed the two.

Detailed examination led to the recovery of 21.269 kg of foreign origin gold valued at Rs 13.08 crore from the persons and the same was seized along with the boat and a two-wheeler used for smuggling the gold.