RailEnquiry

JALPAIGURI: The directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) on Sunday evening seized 14.54 kg gold worth Rs 4 crore at the New Jalpaiguri railway station. Acting on a tip-off, DRI officials raided the Howrah-bound Kamrup Express and arrested four persons, including two women. In all, 40 gold bars were found on them. Of the four arrested, three - Bijay Kumar, Chanda Devi and Priyanka Kumari - are residents of Bihar's Rohtak while the fourth one - Prahlad Soni - hails from Dum Dum. The gold bars were hidden inside the handles of their trolley bags. Primary interrogation revealed that the bars were brought from Myanmar, routed through Nagaland and Guwahati, and were supposed to be taken to Kolkata. The seizure of the gold bars has once again proved that Siliguri corridor continues to be one of the most preferable transit hubs for smugglers from the north-eastern states. Time and again, authorities have seized smuggled goods from in and around Siliguri. This includes seizure of sandal wood, antiques, gold and fake currency notes. The facility with Siliguri is that within 100-km radius one can access Nepal, Bhutan, Bangaldesh and northeast India.