The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday said it conducted searches in Punjab on the premises of the people who were allegedly involved in a gold smuggling racket being run from across the India-Myanmar border.
The raids were carried out at seven locations in Patiala on December 12 against the accused identified by the agency as Lucky Satija, Surinder Kumar, Manjodh Singh Cheema, among others, the ED said in a statement.
The money laundering case, filed under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), stems from a complaint of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
The DRI intercepted two trucks in November, 2020 at different locations and each truck was found carrying 200 pieces of gold bars of foreign origin, concealed in its fuel tank, the statement said. The combined gross weight of the gold was 66.4 kg and this had a market value of Rs 33.2 crore, it added. The trucks were allegedly operated by associates of Lucky Satija, Surinder Kumar and Manjodh Singh Cheema who were transporting smuggled gold to Delhi and Punjab from Guwahati, Assam. The gold was brought to India through the India-Myanmar border, the agency said.
The ED said it seized “incriminating” documents and digital devices during its searches. “Lucky Satija, Surinder Kumar and Manjodh Singh Cheema are part of a larger syndicate involved in smuggling of gold into India from the Myanmar border through Guwahati,” it said.
