Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (MS)

Bengaluru, Oct 19: In a huge catch, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Bengaluru zone, arrested 14 people belonging to a gold smuggling racket after it successfully infiltrated the crime syndicate.

The arrested persons at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) were, a transporter, a mediator cum agent, a financier cum organizer, five receivers and six inbound passengers.

The DRI has confiscated 11.29 kg of gold worth Rs 3.67 crores in the operation.

A grocery shop owner in Majestic area of the city is the financier who has been arrested in this operation. He is said to be the main organizer of many smuggling syndicates. The DRI raided the grocery shop of this key man on the night of October 13, based on a reliable clue of an informant and unearthed the details of the six inbound passengers, who were travelling in three different flights, that were to land in KIA on the early morning of October 14 between 3 am and 4 am.

These passengers were just the carriers in this smuggling operation and they were supposed to handover the gold to the five receivers who were waiting outside the airport. The carriers were given a certain amount of money for carrying the gold from places like Dubai, Sharjah and Bahrain. The cops laid a trap outside the airport for the people who would be receiving the consignments and arrested three persons.

According to sources, three other members of the gang were at the Kengeri Satellite bus stand in order to board a bus which would take them to Kerala. However, the sleuths got the smell of this and surrounded them. One of the three, got into an auto and tried to escape. Police arrested him after a hard chase, during which he jumped out of the auto and ran into nearby bushes.

The impure gold that was confiscated was refined under the supervision of the cops and they got 11.29 kg of pure gold in the operation, the market value of which is said to be Rs 3.67 crore