By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 5.83 kg of foreign-origin gold worth approximately Rs 8.98 crore from a specially fabricated cavity in a car intercepted in Visakhapatnam, arresting two occupants suspected of transporting the gold from the Indo-Bangladesh border to Hyderabad.
The seizure was made during an intelligence-led operation on October 8-9, following a prolonged chase by DRI officers who intercepted the car, which was travelling from Kolkata to Hyderabad.
A detailed search of the vehicle led officers to a concealed cavity beneath the front passenger’s leg space. Three packets containing 5,832.90 grams of 24-carat foreign-origin gold were recovered from the cavity, according to the DRI.
The two occupants allegedly admitted that the gold had been smuggled into India through the Indo-Bangladesh border and was being transported to Hyderabad. The gold was seized under the Customs Act, 1962, and both men were arrested.
The latest seizure follows another major operation by the DRI on September 18-19, when officers intercepted two Mahindra Thar SUVs near Palwal Toll Plaza, close to Delhi, and recovered more than 15 kg of foreign-origin gold worth over Rs 23 crore. The gold had been concealed in specially fabricated cavities in the vehicles’ chassis. Preliminary intelligence suggested that the consignment had been smuggled from Myanmar.
The two seizures highlight the increasingly sophisticated methods allegedly used by organised gold-smuggling networks to move contraband across the country. Investigators have found specially engineered compartments in vehicles being used to evade detection during transportation.
The DRI said it remained committed to identifying evolving concealment techniques, dismantling smuggling networks and protecting the country’s economic and revenue interests.