Free air ticket, hidden gold and a double-cross: Smuggling scheme foiled in Lucknow
Two held by Lucknow police after allegedly stealing ₹30 lakh gold consignment from their own courier, exposing an interstate smuggling network
A sophisticated gold smuggling operation, disguised as a free ticket offer, was foiled by Lucknow police. Two alleged members of an interstate syndicate were arrested - Deepak Verma from Balrampur and Ram Pratap Dubey of Balrampur - for recruiting Indians in Gulf countries to smuggle gold concealed in their bodies. The duo had promised Indians free shopping, cash and air tickets in exchange for carrying the gold, but later stole the contraband for personal gain.
A third man, Mahboob Alam, a courier from Ballia, was detained and questioned for his role in the operation. The recovered gold, valued at ₹30 lakh, was in the form of a 203.92-gram capsule. The arrested men are now being probed to identify other members of the larger smuggling network.
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