Berhampur: During a crackdown on illegal marijuana business, as many as 20 gold biscuits and Rs 1.22 crore cash were seized by Odisha Excise department sleuths from gold merchants from Berhampur in Ganjam district.
The seizure was made during an operation at Lanjipalli bypass area under the jurisdiction of Baidyanathpur police station. The Excise department sleuths were conducting search of vehicles moving on the National Highway to check ganja smuggling on Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off, the Excise sleuths detained a car having Maharashtra registration number and recovered Rs 1.22 crore from some bags. The man present in the vehicle identified himself as Bharat Gokhe, official sources said adding the police were informed and the Gokhe was taken to Baidyanathpur police station.
During questioning about the huge cash with him, the man stated that he was selling gold brought from Maharashtra in Berhampur. Acting on his statement, police recovered 20 gold biscuits from some gold merchants in the city, they said.
Gokhe and some gold traders of Berhampur have been detained for interrogation and further investigation was in progress. There was no valid document with the traders and it is suspected that they were doing illegal business without paying GST.
