Collision and recovery
A late-night collision on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway led to the seizure of gold bars weighing over 10 kg and the detention of two men, police said. The incident occurred around 2 am near kilometre 171 when the SUV allegedly rammed into a police vehicle returning from duty, Hindustan Times reported. The SUV climbed onto the central divider, but all five police personnel inside escaped unhurt, the report said.
The men in the SUV were identified as Sandeep Jaiswal, a resident of Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, and Saroj Pant of Nepal's Palpa district, according to Hindustan Times. Police said the two occupants appeared nervous and allegedly tried to leave the spot but failed when the vehicle did not start, the report said. A search led to the recovery of a black bag containing 10 gold bars weighing around 10 kg, the newspaper reported.
The Tribune, citing SP Vinod Kumar, reported that the Talgram police team was returning from vehicle-checking and kanwar duty when it was informed of the collision. The two men were asked to produce documents, bills or licences relating to the gold, but they could not provide any valid papers, Kumar said.
Value and investigation
An authorised gold evaluator from the State Bank of India determined the seized metal to be 24-carat gold with a total weight of 10.026 kg and an estimated market value of Rs 15.39 crore, The Tribune quoted SP Kumar as saying. The purity of the gold was not yet established at the time of the initial report, according to Hindustan Times.
The seizure was handed over to Customs, which took the two men and the gold to Lucknow after questioning them at Talgram police station, Hindustan Times reported. Officials will investigate the source, ownership and documents related to the consignment, as per the report.
GST authorities, who were informed about the recovery, suspect the detained persons could be part of an international gold smuggling racket, The Tribune reported. The GST team's prima facie suspicion was based on the quantity and high value of the seizure, particularly in view of the fact that one of the detained persons is a Nepali national, SP Kumar said. The GST team recommended a detailed investigation by the Customs Department, he added.
The police team was headed by Sakrava SHO Bhagmal Singh, Hindustan Times reported. Talgram SHO Ranjana Pandey said Customs was investigating the case and local police would provide assistance, as per the report.
Police said during questioning the men also claimed they had transported three gold bars from Nepal to Delhi three days earlier, Hindustan Times reported. Investigators are verifying the claim and examining whether the two consignments are linked. Investigators are also trying to establish whether the two men were carrying the gold for someone else and identify its intended recipient in Delhi, the newspaper added.
Political reaction
Samajwadi Party president and Kannauj MP Akhilesh Yadav claimed in a social media post that police did not disclose the full amount of gold seized, The Tribune reported. He alleged that police had chased the suspected smugglers and recovered 26 gold biscuits weighing 1 kg each, but displayed only 10 biscuits, the newspaper reported. Yadav also criticised the BJP government, calling the route from Nepal to Gorakhpur and then to Delhi part of the 'double-engine's double black business', The Tribune reported.