More than 100 kg smuggled gold worth Rs 51 cr seized by DRI; 7 Sudanese among 10 held
Mumbai, Feb 21: In a pan-India operation, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted a gold smuggling syndicate involving Sudanese nationals operating through the Indo-Nepal border and seized 101.7 kg of the yellow metal valued at around Rs 51 crore and also arrested ten persons, an official said on Tuesday.
The smuggled gold was confiscated after interceptions at Patna, Pune and Mumbai and at least ten persons linked to the syndicate -- seven Sudanese nationals and three Indians -- were arrested during the crackdown named 'Operation Golden Dawn', he said.
Indian and foreign currency notes worth more than Rs 1.35 crore were also recovered during the DRI action.
The seized gold, mostly in paste form, was brought to Patna through the Indo-Nepal border and then transported via trains or by air to different parts of the country, largely to Mumbai, said the official.
Acting on specific information, DRI officials intercepted three Sudanese nationals on late Sunday night while they were boarding a Mumbai-bound train at the Patna railway station, he said.
Gold paste containing gold weighing 37.126 kg and hidden in 40 packets was recovered from two Sudanese nationals, who had ingeniously concealed the precious metal in a specially made cavity of the sleeveless jackets worn by them, the official said.
The third foreign national was a handler coordinating smuggling activity at border areas and arranging transport of smuggled gold, he said.
A second set of two Sudanese women were intercepted on Monday in Pune while they were travelling from Hyderabad to Mumbai in a bus with 5.615 kg of smuggled gold, the official said.
The seized yellow metal was in an assorted form and concealed in handbags, he said.
A third set of two Sudanese nationals travelling to Mumbai from Patna were intercepted at a railway station in the financial capital on Monday. Gold paste containing gold weighing 38.76 kg and concealed in 40 packets was recovered from them, the official informed.
In all, the DRI seized approximately 101.7 kg gold valued at Rs 51 crore along with Rs 74 lakh worth of foreign currency and Rs 63 lakh in Indian notes, he said, adding further investigation was in progress.
In a pan-India Op, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted a gold smuggling syndicate of Sudanese nationals operating through Nepal border. DRI in different interceptions in Patna, Pune & Mumbai seized a total of 101.7 kg of smuggled gold valued at approx Rs 51 Cr: DRI pic.twitter.com/OBhaCOtwLT
— ANI (@ANI) February 21, 2023
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Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
