Bhubaneswar: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence’s (DRI) seizure of smuggled gold worth nearly Rs 9 crore in Visakhapatnam has reignited concerns over Odisha’s highway surveillance and enforcement lapses.
Late last week, DRI officials arrested two men carrying 5,832 grams of 24‑carat foreign‑origin gold biscuits, valued at Rs 8.98 crore. The consignment was being transported in a car from Kolkata to Hyderabad via Odisha along NH‑16. According to investigators, the gold had been smuggled across the India‑Bangladesh border before being moved inland.
What has raised eyebrows is that the contraband reportedly travelled nearly 450 km through Odisha without detection, despite recent directives from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to step up vigilance and prevent the state from becoming a transit corridor for smuggling and trafficking.
The CM’s instructions followed the discovery of five baby orangutans in Baleshwar district last month, suspected to be linked to an international wildlife trafficking network.
The latest incident has triggered questions about the effectiveness of Odisha’s highway monitoring.
Retired DSP SK Pani criticised the apparent laxity. “Our agencies seem to have been caught napping. The fact that the consignment traversed a long stretch of the state without detection points to gaps in surveillance and intelligence gathering,” Pani told The Times of India.
“There is a pressing need for stronger intelligence networks, closer coordination among enforcement agencies and more focused monitoring of vulnerable transit corridors to prevent such incidents,” he added.
Odisha police, however, rejected allegations of negligence. A senior officer said, “No police force can physically screen every vehicle on a busy national highway. Successful interceptions are usually driven by actionable intelligence. Nevertheless, incidents like these help identify vulnerabilities, and we would continue to strengthen monitoring and coordination with other agencies.”
While the journey between Kolkata and Visakhapatnam spans about 880 km, the accused reportedly covered nearly half that distance within Odisha before being intercepted in Andhra Pradesh. The episode underscores the challenges of policing vast transit routes and the urgent need for Odisha to plug enforcement gaps that smugglers appear to be exploiting.
