23.5 kg gold seized, 6 held in Kochi
Tax officials to impose fine after verifying gold and currency
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-04-18 05:50 GMT
KOCHI: A team of the shadow police has seized 23.5 kg of gold suspected to be brought to the State by evading sales tax from an apartment at TD Road on Friday.
The police also seized '6 lakh from the apartment and taken into custody six persons belonging to Maharashtra in connection with the case. City police Commissioner KG James told DC that the incident is linked with bringing gold into the state for jewelers by evading local taxes. Ruling out possibilities of smuggling of the yellow metal from abroad.
The matter has been communicated to the sales tax department and they would verify the gold recovered from the apartment, he said. Sales tax officials are expected to impose a fine after verifying the seized gold and currency.
Police had identified the six persons taken into custody as Ashwin (29), Lethraj (31), Hemant Kumar (23), Bansi (24) Suresh Singh Raj (31) and Praveen Kumar (23). The arrested has told police that they have brought the gold for making ornaments for the gold retailers in the city and the state. Police suspect that the arrested persons are involved in bringing gold to the state on a regular basis.