Bidhannagar Police seized gold, diamonds, and other precious gemstones worth more than ₹1 crore from Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport and arrested a Rajasthan resident for allegedly attempting to smuggle the valuables out of the airport premises.
Rajasthan man arrested near airport
According to police, the accused, identified as Ram Avtar Sharma, was intercepted near the airport while allegedly transporting the consignment on a scooter after collecting it from a person inside the airport.
Gold, diamonds, gemstones recovered during raid
Police sources said the valuables had arrived at the airport through a domestic cargo shipment on Wednesday evening. Acting on specific intelligence, officers from the NSCBI Police Station stopped the scooter before it exited the airport premises.
Scooter intercepted after intelligence input
During the search, police recovered around 400 grams of gold, valued at nearly ₹60 lakh, along with several hundred grams of silver, besides diamond jewellery, rubies and emeralds. The total market value of the seized valuables is estimated to exceed ₹1 crore.
Investigators suspect the consignment was being transported to Burrabazar, Kolkata’s major wholesale trading hub.
Police suspect organised smuggling network
The accused was produced before the Barrackpore Court on Thursday. Police are expected to seek his custody to investigate the larger smuggling network and identify other persons involved in the racket.
Officials said the investigation is underway to ascertain the origin of the consignment, its intended recipients, and whether it is linked to an organised interstate smuggling syndicate.
