In the largest gold seizure in Assam's history, Guwahati Police recovered 37.064 kg of suspected smuggled gold valued at approximately ₹54 crore from a 32-year-old Maharashtra resident, Akshay Bansode. The operation also led to the seizure of silver nodules, four mobile phones, and cash. Acting on specific intelligence, investigators alleged that the accused was working as a delivery agent for a gold-smuggling network, earning ₹80,000 per month, and had successfully transported around 20 kg of gold on three previous occasions. He was unable to produce any valid documents for the seized consignment.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the smuggling racket has links to Myanmar and West Asia, with domestic connections spanning Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Bengaluru. Officials believe much of the smuggled gold enters India through border routes in Manipur and Mizoram before being distributed to major metropolitan cities. In a separate development, authorities at Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport returned an unattended bag containing foreign currency worth over ₹10 lakh to its rightful owner after Customs and other agencies verified that the funds were legally declared and accounted for. Police are continuing their probe to identify other members of the network, trace financial transactions, and uncover the full extent of the smuggling operation.
