Shillong, July 9: Meghalaya Police have busted an inter-state gold smuggling racket and arrested five persons involved in the racket from Meghalaya and Assam besides recovering seven gold biscuits of foreign origin worth Rs 50 lakh and Rs 27 lakh in cash.
Meghalaya Director General of Police, L R Bishnoi today in formed the media in Shillong that on June 24 last Nongpoh police acting on a tip-off recovered the gold biscuits from a passenger travelling in a tourist taxi (Swift D’zire) from Shillong to Guwahati during a search operation.
The person was identified as one Abu Bakkar from Barpeta in Assam. He was carrying the seven gold biscuits of 24 carat and foreign origin concealed in his waistband. The seizure weighed 0.8 kg (800 grams) and is worth Rs 50 lakh.
On interrogation, the accused revealed that he was given the gold biscuits by someone in Shillong to be handed over to Siddique Ali and Shah Jahan in Barpeta, Assam.
In a subsequent operation carried out by Meghalaya Police in Barpeta in coordination with Assam Police, recovered Rs 27 lakh in cash from Shah Jahan, a resident of Barpeta in Assam.
Meghalaya Police have so far arrested five persons in connection with the gold seizure. They have been identified as Abu Bakkar, Shah Jahan and Siddique Ali from Barpeta in Assam, Aziz Lyngdoh s/o A Hamid, Dhobighat, Laban in Shillong and Subali Kharbani of Mawlai in Shillong.
Ten mobile phones have also been seized from the accused. A case has been registered in Nongpoh Police Station (Case No. 122(6)22) u/s 120B/420/468/379/411/414/34 IPC and further investigation is on.