In a significant crackdown on gold smuggling, the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Gujarat's Surat has arrested four individuals for allegedly smuggling gold worth Rs 65 lakh. The accused employed a novel method to evade security checks by mixing the gold with chemicals and spraying it onto the rexine and rubber sheets of trolley bags, police said on Monday.
According to an official statement, the arrests were made on Sunday, and 927 grams of gold were seized. The gang involved in this operation sent a couple from Surat to Dubai, where an accomplice provided them with the gold in liquid form. This gold was then chemically treated and sprayed onto trolley bags, making it difficult for security checks at Surat International Airport to detect.
The SOG revealed that the accused had successfully bypassed immigration checks and were on the verge of delivering the smuggled gold to other gang members at a hotel. Acting on a tip-off, the SOG team raided the hotel and apprehended four individuals, including a woman.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Naeem Saleh (29), Umaima Saleh (25), Abdul Bemat (33), and Firoz Nur (48), all residents of Mangrol in Surat district. They have been charged under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita for cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy.
(With inputs from PTI)
READ MORE | Gold worth Rs 19 Crore seized at Mumbai airport, two foreign nationals arrested
READ MORE | Custom officials seize gold worth Rs 3.91 crores, arrest 5 persons at Chennai airport
