Vijayawada: Five people allegedly involved in procuring and transporting smuggled gold from Bangladesh to Hyderabad via Kolkata have been arrested following a coordinated operation by officers of the Hyderabad Zonal Unit (HZU) and Vijayawada Regional Unit (RU).
Acting on specific intelligence about the alleged smuggling network, officers intercepted a Scorpio vehicle on the outskirts of Vijayawada. The vehicle was found carrying foreign currency (FC) concealed in a secret cavity.
During interrogation, the two occupants allegedly admitted that they were transporting the currency to be delivered on the outskirts of Vijayawada. The foreign currency was found to be part of the sale proceeds of smuggled gold, according to officials.
Following the initial interception, officers identified three other alleged carriers travelling towards Hyderabad in a public bus. They were intercepted at a toll plaza, where officers recovered three foreign-origin gold bars weighing approximately 3.1kg.
All five people allegedly involved in procuring and transporting the contraband were arrested and produced before the jurisdictional magistrate, who remanded them to judicial custody.