Siliguri, 05 June (H.S.) : The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested two alleged gold smugglers and seized foreign gold biscuits worth approximately ₹2.88 crore from the Raiganj NBSTC bus stand in West Bengal.

The accused have been identified as Subhranshu Bhattacharya of Hooghly district and Raju Deonath of Tripura. Both were produced before the Siliguri court, which rejected their bail plea and remanded them to 14 days of judicial custody.

According to preliminary investigations, the gold was allegedly smuggled from across the Indo-Bangladesh border and concealed in specially designed compartments inside shoes and belts. The accused reportedly travelled from Tripura to Guwahati and then reached Raiganj, from where they planned to move the consignment to Kolkata.

Officials said the DRI had prior intelligence about the smuggling attempt and conducted a raid at the bus stand early in the morning, leading to the arrest of both individuals. During the search, authorities recovered 16 gold biscuits hidden in footwear and belts. The total weight of the seized gold is 1,856 grams, with an estimated international market value of ₹2.88 crore.

The DRI suspects that the case may be linked to a larger international smuggling network operating along the Indo-Bangladesh border, with routes extending through Guwahati and Raiganj towards Kolkata.

Further investigation is underway.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh