2 gold smugglers nabbed with 50 gold biscuits

Imphal: Customs officers yet again foiled gold smuggling in Manipur with recovery of 50 gold coins which were concealed in the air filter compartment of a motorcycle at Thamnapokpi in Chandel district.

The gold seizure was made on the next day Customs officers seized 60 Gold bars from a smuggler at Imphal airport on Sunday.

Assistant commissioner, Customs Division, Imphal H.I. Songate on Tuesday said, Customs officers recovered the gold biscuits acting on specific information, recieved on Monday at about 9 am by the superintendent, CPF, Churachandpur to the effect that gold biscuits will be carried and concealed inside the body of a two wheeler TVS N Torque (Red) without registration number and will be driven by a person (thin built, wearing red and blue checkered shirt) aged about 30 years of age accompanied by another person of the same age. According to the information the duo were likely to reach Thamnapokpi, Chandel District, at about 1 pm.

A team of Customs officers immediately rushed to Thamnapokpi and reached there at about 12:30 p . At about 2 pm, the customs officers saw two persons coming on a two wheeler as described and immediately stopped them.

On being enquired if they were carrying gold in biscuit form in the two wheeler, the two persons denied the same, Songate said.

It was a remote place. The two persons along with the bike were brought at Customs office at Sangakpham, opposite DAV Public School. AT the customs office, a thorough inspection of the two wheeler was carried out. On checking the air filter compartment, five packets of gold biscuits in groups of 10 wrapped in adhesive tape were recovered. The total number of the recovered gold biscuits was 50, he added.

The value of the gold weighing around 8.300 Kg and the bike is Rs 4,43,95,200 (the value of the vehicle is estimated at Rs 40,000), he said.

A case has been registered and the duo identified as Sapam Hemochandra Singh, 26, son of late Sapam Tompok Singh, resident of Khongjom Sapam Maning Leikai, Khongiom, Thoubal; and Charanga Phunthil Maring, 28, son of Charanga Mothil Maring, resident of Khunbi Tuinem, Machi sub-division, Chandel have been arrested under relevant section of the Customs Act, 1965, the assistant commissioner said.

Further investigation to nab the other offender(s) of the case is going on, he added.