IMPHAL: A sixty-year-old smuggler was reportedly arrested and thirty gold biscuits weighing 4.98 kg worth approximately Rs three crore in the international market were recovered from his car on Thursday, an official source said on Saturday.
Based on an intelligent input from across the border that an old smuggler has taken a consignment of huge gold bars from his counterpart along the international border, a joint team of law enforcement agencies sounded an alert and intercepted a Honda Toyota car at Kuraopokpi Bojoipur bus stand on the NH 102 Moreh international to Imphal.
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The sleuths of the Customs Division Imphal and officials of the Customs, Pallel, and Kakching police stations carried out a search operation to trace the gold biscuits inside the vehicle.
“30 gold biscuits weighing 4.98 kg were found concealed below the driver’s seat of the car. The market value of the seized gold is around Rs three crore,” an official of the Land Customs division, the Imphal branch said.
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On getting answers from the alleged smuggler after spot inquiries, the Customs official established that the illegal goods would be smuggled outside the state through their counterparts.
The official further stated thus the combined team of the police and Customs foiled the attempts at gold smuggling which was seized under the Customs Act, of 1962.
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The smuggler later identified as Thongkholen Mate, 60, from Khudengthabi village along the International border, the seized biscuits and impounded vehicle are now in the custody for taking details of legal proceedings, the official added.