In a significant breakthrough against gold smuggling, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has intercepted gold worth ₹6.6 crore and approximately ₹26 lakh in cash on the Nizamuddin-Mumbai August Kranti Tejas Rajdhani Express train in Kota district, Rajasthan.
RPF successfully apprehended three individuals suspected of gold smuggling, subsequently transferring them to the relevant authorities for further investigation. Two of the accused are residents of Mumbai, while one hails from Rajasthan.
Special RPF team boarded the train
The operation unfolded late on Thursday night, following intelligence inputs received by the RPF, indicating a substantial gold consignment would be transported on train number 12954 Nizamuddin-Mumbai Tejas Rajdhani Express. Acting swiftly, a specialized RPF team from Delhi boarded the train to carry out a comprehensive search operation.
During their search, the RPF team identified passengers displaying suspicious behavior and proceeded to examine their belongings. In the process, they discovered suspicious gold and cash. The authorities, including the Income Tax Department, were promptly notified.
Chains and gold biscuits
Upon reaching Kota Junction at 10:30 pm on Thursday, the RPF team disembarked with the three accused individuals and confiscated the gold and cash. A search of the suspects' bags yielded 10.7 kg of gold and ₹26 lakh in cash, predominantly consisting of ₹500 denominations, with most of the gold in the form of jewelry. Chains and gold biscuits were also discovered in the possession of the accused.
Dilip Bhai, the son of Devsi, and Jitendra Bhanwar from Mumbai, along with Pritesh Kumar Mutha, son of Tarachand from Rajasthan, were taken into custody by the RPF. These individuals were subjected to intensive interrogation by RPF's special teams throughout the night. Reportedly, the accused were unable to provide satisfactory explanations for the presence of the cash and gold.
Subsequently, the arrested individuals, along with the seized gold and cash, were handed over to the Income Tax Department for further investigations into this significant gold smuggling case.
