The State Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate has seized huge quantity of contraband gold biscuits and unaccounted cash from a trader who was travelling by a train, in Vijayawada.

The contraband included gold biscuits weighing 2.4 kg are worth Rs. 64 lakh, gold ornaments weighing 566 grams worth Rs.14 lakh and Rs.95.25 lakh in cash were seized from Nagendra Prabhu who was travelling from Visakhapatnam to Coimbatore in Patna-Ernakulam Express on January 12. He was caught by the Government Railway Police at the Vijayawada railway station.

The trader was not carrying any documents or receipts for the gold biscuit and money, customs sources said. On questioning him, the owner of the jewellery shop rushed from Coimbatore and submitted some documents. But those were found to be fake during the verification. The carrier and the owner were arrested and remanded to judicial custody for two weeks by the Economic Offence Court, Hyderabad.

This is the first major seizure by the Customs (preventive) Commissionerate which was established recently. Commissioner S.K Rahman said that efforts would be made to crack a whip on smuggling operations in 13 districts. Further investigations would be conducted to nab the kingpin of the racket.

Assistant Commissioner K. Rajasekhara Reddy, superintendents G. Seetharamaiah Chowdary, M. Srinivasu, K.S.V.D. Srinivas, B. Veerabhadra Rao and inspectors Aslam Usmani, Sushil ad J. Nagshankar took part in the operation.