Gold biscuits smuggled from Sri Lanka seized in Tamil Nadu

The Indian authorities have seized a contraband of gold biscuits smuggled from Sri Lanka after intercepting it on its way to Chennai, the Hindu newspaper reported. 

Close on the heels of Q Branch police seizing 6.856 kg of gold biscuits smuggled from Sri Lanka, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 9.293 kg of gold biscuits, also smuggled from Sri Lanka, at coastal Thondi, Tamil Nadu after detaining two persons.

Acting on specific intelligence, DRI teams from Thoothukudi and Madurai made the seizure on Monday evening at the Thondi bus stand when the two persons – acting as agents of smugglers -- came to board a bus to Chennai, DRI officials said.

Enquiries revealed that a person received the contraband from a contact in Sri Lanka on the high seas off Thondi and brought it to the shore. On being handed over, the two persons, identified as Saravanan (40) and Ramadoss (41), set to carry the smuggled gold to Chennai when the officials intercepted them.

The accused were in possession of eight gold biscuits with foreign markings and each weighed one kg, the officials said, adding few of the pieces were found moulded. The accused, who hailed from Paramakudi, would be produced before the jurisdictional magistrate court in Madurai and remanded in judicial custody, the officials said.

The DRI has made the seizure a week after the Q Branch police had seized 6.856 kg of gold after detaining a person at Mandapam south fishing jetty on November 20. This was DRI’s major seizure after it had seized 28 kg of gold biscuits, smuggled from Sri Lanka in three different places, including the East Coast Road, near here and Sayalkudi in July.