Nagaland Police seized 290 gold bars weighing 48.14 kg and a huge amount of drugs worth around Rs 29 crore which has been termed as the biggest ever haul of contraband in the state.
The Additional Director General of Police (Administration), Nagaland, Sandeep M. Tamgadge on Monday said the Nagaland police acting on a tip-off seized the gold bars and drugs in separate operations on Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the narcotic check-points at Khuzama in Kohima.
While addressing the media at Kohima on Monday Tamgadge said the police personnel intercepted a vehicle (XUV-300 bearing registration No. MN-01AS-1325) on the Kohima-Imphal National Highway on Sunday and recovered the smuggled gold hidden inside the cover of gear lever of the vehicle, packed neatly in 29 packets.
He said each of the packets contained 10 gold bars with a total weight of 48.14 Kg and worth more than Rs 22.78 crore.
The top police official said this seizure is the state’s single-biggest capture of the smuggled bullion.
The smuggled gold and the SUV were seized and two persons were arrested.
ADGP Tamgadge informed that the two arrested persons were identified as 35-year-old Saurabh Singh and 45-year-old Pawan Kumar, both residents of Uttar Pradesh.
Tamgadge also informed that during three separate operations carried out on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 7 other persons were arrested from the same spot and recovered 1.84 kg heroin packed in 88 soap cases and one kg opium packed in 12 packets.
The value of the seized drugs was around Rs 6.50 crore, he informed.
The press conference was also attended by Roopa M, DIG, CID; Manoj Kumar, SP (Crime); Imlisunep, IGP (CID); and Bendangchuba Jamir, SP (N&P).