Lucknow: Directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) intercepted an Indian passenger arriving from Sharjah at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi, and seized 491 grams of 24-carat foreign-origin gold valued around Rs 70 lakh.The passenger was intercepted on July 26 following specific intelligence inputs that he was carrying smuggled gold from the UAE.“During a search of the aircraft, DRI officers recovered gold concealed in paste/compound form beneath the passenger’s seat. After extraction, the recovered gold weighed 491 grams,” an official said.The passenger was arrested while the seized gold was taken into custody. Officials said investigations are underway to identify other members of the smuggling syndicate and establish the network’s links.With the latest seizure, DRI has recovered 13.267 kg of smuggled foreign-origin gold worth nearly Rs 19 crore in eight cases across Uttar Pradesh since Jan this year.A total of nine people have been arrested in connection with these cases.Investigators are examining whether the Sharjah passenger was acting as a carrier for a larger syndicate and are probing the intended destination of the contraband.
