Two individuals, both from Kolkata, according to Odisha excise officers, were in the sports utility vehicle that was halted at the toll gate.
A group of Odisha excise authorities found over 100kg of silver bricks, jewellery, and money in a car’s hidden compartment on Thursday at a toll gate on NH-16 in the Cuttack region. According to officials, the car was stopped after someone reported that there might be an effort to transfer drugs via the tollgate.
Excise officials stated that two individuals, Dilip Mandal and Atulya Pal of Kolkata, were travelling in a white SUV from Ganjam’s Aska to Kharagpur in West Bengal when they were stopped at the NHAI tollgate at Tangi in the Cuttack district. Over 100kg of silver bricks and 12 lakh rupees in cash were found during the frisking by the excise authorities.
Rajat Praharaj, deputy commissioner of the excise department, stated: “Our guards were positioned at the toll gate from last night due to tips that a significant number of drugs were going to travel through the tollgate. When they saw this car rushing toward the toll gate, our staff halted it. They found a hidden compartment in the automobile, where they found the silver bricks and money after searching.
GST officials have been alerted, according to Praharaj.
One of the defendants informed the excise officials that, in addition to a lump sum payment of Rs.3,000, he would receive Rs.1,000 for each day of travel.
Prasanta Patnaik