The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Monday arrested three persons, including a Slovenian, for their alleged involvement in a major gunrunning and wildlife smuggling racket, after raids at a national-level shooter’s house in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut led to a haul of arms and animal meat.
Intercepted at airport
The accused were intercepted by officials of the DRI after their arrival at the IGI Airport here by a Turkish Airlines flight from Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana via Istanbul on Saturday. They were carrying 25 illegally imported lethal weapons and other items worth about ₹4.5 crore with them, a senior DRI official said.
Incorrect declaration
They had incorrectly declared the quantity and value of the arms and ammunition to the customs officials and tried to get these items cleared by misusing the scheme meant for renowned shooters, he said.
Rules permit professional shooters to import a limited quantity of arms and ammunition for practice. The trio — Amit Goyal, Anil Kumar Langan and Boris Sobotic Mikolic — have been arrested for allegedly violating customs rules to evade payment of import duty, he said. The DRI officials also seized ₹1.04 crore in cash from them, the official said. The trio were were sent to 14 days in judicial custody. “The accused will be produced before the court on May 15,” said Satish Aggarwal, DRI’s counsel.
The DRI had carried out searches at multiple places on Sunday including the house of the national-level shooter Prashant Bishnoi and seized over hundred illegally imported firearms, 117 kg of nilgai meat, horns and skins of leopards and blackbucks.
