Maharashtra: 106 kg gold seized, 7 held

Acting on a tip-off, its sleuths seized 75 kg of smuggled gold concealed in two vehicles in Mumbai’s Bhindi Bazar area and detained Abdul Ahad Zarodarwala, Shaikh Abdul Ahad and Shoeb Zarodarwala.

The alleged accused confessed that they received a total of over 200 kg of smuggled gold from one Nisar Aliyar. They sold smuggled gold in the wholesale market for a commission and one of their customers was Raju alias Manoj Jain who had bought around 100 kg of smuggled gold from them in the past.

The process of selling was done through 'non-banking channels' (hawala) and they had sent Rs 12 crore through one Aaquil Fruitwala to Dubai, they allegedly revealed.

Nisar Aliyar, when summoned by the DRI, allegedly confessed that he had smuggled more than 200 kg of gold into India from Dubai by concealing it in containers of brass scrap.

Apart from Zarodarwalas, he had also sold around 30 kg of smuggled goods to one Happy Dhakad, he said.

A total of 106.9 kg of gold and Rs 1.81 crore in cash have been seized during the probe so far, the DRI said.

Aliyar, Shoeb Zarodarwala, Abdul Ahad Zarodarwala, Shaikh Abdul Ahad, Dhakad, Jain and Fruitwala were arrested and remanded in judicial custody while further probe is on, it said.

Meanwhile during the investigation two more persons were detained by the ED.

Both detenue had allegedly played important role in the crime and had actively participated in the transportation of smuggled goods, officials said.

Image: UNI