Smuggling racket busted after police rescue abducted Saudi returnees

In a dramatic twist, Moradabad police have uncovered a major gold smuggling racket after rescuing six abducted individuals, four of whom were later found to have gold hidden in their stomachs, authorities said.

- Deepak Lavania

MEERUT: The individuals, who had returned from Saudi Arabia, were abducted by armed criminals posing as policemen on Friday evening.

Talking to HT, Meerut senior superintendent of police (SSP) Satpal Antil said, "So far 27 capsules weighing around 950 grams have been extracted from the stomachs of four Saudi returnees. Medical teams are still working to find more gold capsules which were swallowed for the purpose of smuggling."

"Police teams are conducting a detailed investigation. Links of the smugglers are being identified to trace the larger smuggling nexus. We are also trying to ascertain whether these individuals had been involved in similar activities in the past. The customs department has been alerted," the SSP said.

The case came to light on Friday evening when six armed criminals travelling in two vehicles intercepted a car near the old toll plaza on the Delhi-Lucknow highway in Moradabad.