Siliguri, 05th June: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested two persons from the Raiganj NBSTC bus stand with foreign-origin gold biscuits worth approximately ₹2.88 crore in a major anti-smuggling operation. The arrested individuals have been identified as Subhranshu Bhattacharya from Hooghly and Raju Debnath from Tripura.
According to officials, the accused were produced before the Siliguri court, where the judge rejected their bail plea and remanded them to 14 days of judicial custody.
Sources said the gold biscuits were allegedly smuggled from the Indo-Bangladesh border using specially designed hidden compartments in shoes and belts. The accused reportedly travelled from Tripura to Guwahati and then to Raiganj via different buses, with plans to proceed towards Kolkata.
However, DRI received prior intelligence about the movement and conducted a raid early morning at the Raiganj NBSTC bus stand, where both accused were apprehended.
During the search, officials recovered 16 gold biscuits concealed inside specially made compartments in their shoes and belts. The total weight was reported to be 1,856 grams.
DRI officials said the seizure may be linked to a larger international gold smuggling network operating through the Indo-Bangladesh route via Guwahati and Raiganj towards Kolkata.
The defence counsel, however, denied the allegations and argued for bail, which was rejected by the court. Preliminary investigation suggests possible links to an international smuggling racket, and further probe is underway based on recovered bus tickets and other evidence.
