A youth was arrested by officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in India on Saturday for hiding gold bars smuggled from Sri Lanka at his house in Anna Nagar. The youth was remanded in judicial custody by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court.
Officials from DRI, Tuticorin, on receiving information that J. Jannathul Firdouse (22) was having gold bars smuggled from Sri Lanka, conducted a raid at his house in Anna Nagar on Saturday. They seized 20 bars of gold, weighing nine kg and worth 24 million Indian rupees.
They were reportedly smuggled from Sri Lanka to Rameswaram through sea and brought to Madurai by road, The Hindu reported.
The DRI officials produced the youth before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate K. Jayakumar. The judge remanded him in judicial custody till November 11, following which he was sent to the Madurai Central Prison.
A source said the smuggled gold was intended for sale to ‘select’ bullion merchants in Madurai, Coimbatore and Karaikudi.
Whether the youth was involved in the entire ‘operation’ or he was just being used as a ‘carrier’ had to be examined discreetly. Preliminary probe suggested that it was transported in a car from Rameswaram to Madurai.
