Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Saturday seized over 23 kg of foreign-marked gold bars, valued at ₹7.8 crore, from a smuggling syndicate and arrested five persons including an Customs officer posted at the Chennai international airport.
According to a press release, the officers intercepted four passengers who arrived from Singapore and Malaysia, with 12.95 kg of gold bars, and apprehended the Customs officer who was reportedly waiting for them on behalf of a receiver from the city.
Follow-up searches at the receiver’s residence, and his family member’s house nearby, yielded 10.2 kg of smuggled gold and ₹24.43 lakh cash. Additionally, DRI officers raided a grey-market shop owned by the receiver and recovered 48 drones, which were restricted for import, and were worth about ₹23 lakh. They also found several high-end cameras and accessories.
The passengers and Customs officer admitted to their long-standing association with receiver. They were arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act and remanded in judicial custody. Efforts to trace the receiver were under way, the release added.
