West Bengal: In a major crackdown, smuggled gold and undeclared cash worth over Rs 1 crore were seized from Howrah railway station in Kolkata and one person was detained in this connection. According to reports, the arrested person has been identified as Chandrabhan Mishra, a resident of the Motiganj area in Uttar Pradesh.
After the recent recovery, the Income Tax department and intelligence agencies have expressed concerns that Howrah station is turning into a preferred transit hub for operators dealing in smuggled gold and undeclared cash.
Railway Protection Force (RPF) sources said that Mishra was seen loitering mysteriously with a heavy bag at platform number eight of the old complex of Howrah station at around 10 p.m. on Monday.
RPF personnel detained man with gold and cash
The RPF personnel intercepted him and upon thorough checking, gold bars and ornaments fetching the approximate market value of over Rs 1 crore were seized from his possession.
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Mishra was initially detained and questioned about the source of that huge gold consignment but when he did not give any satisfactory answer. Further, the RPF personnel arrested him and handed him over to the income tax department officials.
Earlier on March 18, in two separate incidents, the RPF personnel arrested two persons with unaccounted cash worth Rs 32.80 lakh. On March 12, a resident of Rajasthan's Bikaner area was arrested by the RPF from Howrah Station with unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 50 lakh.
(With IANS inputs)
