In an intriguing turn of events, a team of Excise authorities nabbed three gold sellers in connection with a raid on illicit ganja smuggling in Baidyanathpur locality of Odisha’s Ganjam district late Tuesday night and collected Rs 1.22 crore in cash and roughly 20 gold biscuits.
Two of the accused—one from Maharashtra and two from Bada Bazaar—planned to conduct business without paying GST.
According to reports, in an effort to stop the smuggling of ganja, excise officials block the National Highway that passes through Ganjam every day.
In response to credible information about the ganja smuggling, officials stopped a car with a Maharashtra registration number near Lanjipalli, which is under the jurisdiction of the Baidyanathpur police, and searched it.
To their complete surprise, they discovered Rs 1.22 crore in cash concealed in two bags and about 20 gold biscuits kept in the vehicle’s container. They immediately impounded the vehicle.
Later, Baidyanath police were alerted by excise sleuths, who seized the suspects as well as the vehicle transporting the gold biscuits and cash.
The gold jeweller from Maharashtra claimed during questioning that they were returning home after selling gold jewellery. He did not, however, present any legitimate documentation pertaining to the company or the gold cookies.
The police stated that more inquiry into the situation is being conducted.
Prasanta Patnaik 
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