DRI's Mumbai, Varanasi units arrest 5 persons, seize 13.7 kg gold worth Rs 8.5 cr

A total of 5 kilograms of gold was recovered from their possession, he said.During the investigation, the DRI team got information about a handler based out of a village in Sangli district.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested five persons allegedly with 13.7 kilograms of smuggled gold worth Rs 8.5 crore, an official said on Thursday.

Three members of the gold smuggling syndicate were held by the DRI's Mumbai unit and two by the agency's unit in Varanasi, he added.

''The syndicate was attempting to smuggle gold via the land and railway route. Based on specific information, the DRI Mumbai team intercepted two persons carrying smuggled gold by bus near Pune on Monday. A total of 5 kilograms of gold was recovered from their possession,'' he said.

''During the investigation, the DRI team got information about a handler based out of a village in Sangli district. His home was searched on Tuesday morning, which led to information about two more carriers of the same syndicate who were involved in smuggling gold from Varanasi to Nagpur,'' the official added.

The information was shared with the DRI Varanasi team, which initiated action and intercepted the two carriers, leading to the further seizure of 8.7 kg of smuggled gold, he said.