The Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate, Vijayawada, seized about 11 kg of gold jewelry worth Rs 6.4 Cr and foreign money worth Rs 1.5 lakh from Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman. The episode occurred in the early hours of August 25 on Friday.
The officials claimed that the smuggled gold came from Sri Lanka and Dubai.
At the Bopalli toll booth, a car traveling from Chennai to Vijayawada was stopped, and about 4.3 kg of gold was found inside.
6.8 kg of gold jewelry and foreign currency, including Kuwait Dinar, Oman Rial, and Qatar Riyal, totaling Rs 1.5 lakh, were recovered by police during a search of the accused's residence.
Customs officials claim that the foreign markings on the gold were purposefully removed in order to conceal the fact that it was imported.
Under the terms of the Customs Act of 1962, the suspect who was in possession of stolen gold was detained on Saturday. A Vishakhapatnam court has ordered the suspect to judicial prison for 13 days.
The Vijayawada Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate seized 70 kilograms of smuggled gold between the years 2022–2023 and 2023–2024, with an estimated value of Rs 40 crores.
