New Delhi: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) claimed to have busted a big syndicate involved in the smuggling of foreign-origin gold worth around Rs 40 crore, an official statement said.

The press release said that the operation, meticulously planned and coordinated across four states, resulted in the seizure of a huge quantity of smuggled gold, weighing around 61.08 kg and valued at around Rs. 40 crore, along with 19 vehicles, cash and other electronic items in Guwahati, Barpeta, Darbhanga, Gorakhpur and Araria.

Acting on specific intelligence, the DRI officers in Guwahati apprehended six members of the syndicate, including two masterminds, from a residential premises at Guwahati and recovered 22.74 kg of gold, cash amounting to Rs 13 lakh, vehicles, and other electronic items. A vehicle, which had already left Guwahati, was tracked down and intercepted at Barpeta, Assam, approximately 90 km from Guwahati. 13.28 kg of smuggled gold was recovered from the intercepted vehicle and another two people were apprehended, the statement said.

Following the leads unearthed during investigations, DRI officers from Muzaffarpur intercepted a vehicle near Darbhanga and recovered 13.27 kg of gold. Another vehicle was intercepted by DRI officers at Gorakhpur and 11.79 kg of foreign-origin gold was recovered. Another nine cars with secret cavities used by the syndicate were also identified and intercepted at Araria, Bihar, by DRI officers from Patna, the statement further said.

"Initial questioning of the apprehended persons revealed that the syndicate used to smuggle gold into India through the Indo-Myanmar land border in small quantities, aggregate the same at Guwahati and further transport to Delhi, Jaipur, etc. DRI has apprehended 12 persons--eight people in Guwahati, two in Muzaffarpur and two in Gorakhpur in this operation," the release said.