Sleuths of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Mangaluru, have arrested a person from Bhatkal on the charge of smuggling 1.5 kg of gold, worth ₹59.52 lakh, in a KSRTC bus here on Friday.
Shreyas K.M., Deputy Director, DRI, Mangaluru, said in a release on Saturday that the accused, Sibgatullah Kola, 31, was allegedly carrying smuggled gold and was travelling in a KSRTC Airavat Bus from Bengaluru to Manipal.
He was intercepted at the KSRTC bus stand in Bejai on credible information and was arrested at about 4.15 p.m.
The accused had allegedly concealed 13 pieces of gold bars of foreign origin inside cigarette packets.
He revealed during the interrogation that he had smuggled them during his journey from Dubai to Singapore and Singapore to Chennai.
He had specifically chosen a roundabout journey from Dubai via Singapore to hoodwink the Customs authorities since Singapore is not considered a hotspot for smuggling for gold.
He confessed that after getting cleared from the Chennai airport he took a bus from Chennai to Bengaluru and later from Bengaluru to Udupi and was on his way to Bhatkal.
According to the accused, one person of Bhatkal origin had provided him with the gold and he was acting as a carrier. He was doing it for money.
The gold seized was of 24 karat purity. Further investigation is on, the Deputy Director said.
