Mizoram records lowest voter turnout among northeast states
This figure was reported by the ECI Voter Turnout Portal by 5 PM, indicating a decline from the 63% turnout seen in the 2019 General Election to the Lok Sabha.
The recent seizures of gold and investigations followed suggest that smugglers have found an alternative route through Myanmar and Mizoram to take gold to Kolkata and other places.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized six gold bars worth more than Rs 1 crore and arrested three persons on 24 February.
The yellow metal was smuggled from Mynamar and was supposed to be delivered somewhere in Kolkata. The same agency had seized 24 gold bars, weighing around four kg and worth around Rs 1.5 crore from the hollow metal handles of two trolley bags carried by two passengers of the Howrah-bound Kamrup Express at the NJP Railway Station in Siliguri on 25 January.
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The gold bars were suspected to have been smuggled into India from China through Myanmar. In a recent haul, the DRI seized gold bars worth Rs 1,34,30,650 on 16 November within 48 hours from another seizure of gold bars. The yellow metal was again smuggled from China via Myanmar.
Two persons who were arrested had admitted that they had received 11 gold bars (with foreign markings and weighing 4 kg 328 grams in Aizawl. The consignment was heading for Kolkata by road.
The anti-smuggling intelligence, investigations and operations agency had recovered 3 kg of gold bars with foreign markings worth Rs 93,10,200 from Siliguri on 14 November last year.
The Swiss bars were smuggled from China and the agents had procured them in Bhutan and were to be delivered in Maharashtra. Additional standing counsel, government of India, Ratan Banik said gold smugglers prefer the route through Myanmar via the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur, Assam and Siliguri as the corridor.
DRI officials said it appeared that organized international rackets were involved in smuggling the precious metal into India. “The corridor appeared to be a preferred one for international gold smugglers.
The proximity of international borders and the location of Siliguri have advantages. The gold consignments are of late generally from Myanmar,” said a senior DRI official.
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