Road accident uncovers gold smuggling ring in UP
Central security agencies and the Customs Department have widened their investigation into a gold smuggling network after seizing 10.35 kg of gold bars worth about Rs 16 crore on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Kannauj on Saturday. The investigation connects the operation to the Indo-Nepal border area of Thuthibari in Maharajganj district. This has led to joint raids by Customs, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and local police, focusing on car driver Sandeep Jaiswal and cloth merchant Riyaz.
A routine car accident helped investigators discover a cross-border network. They believe this group is part of a larger operation moving gold from Nepal into Indian markets through Uttar Pradesh.
The incident late night near the Talgram police station area. A police team was returning from Kanwar Yatra duty in a Tata Sumo when a speeding Maruti Brezza crashed into their vehicle. The impact pushed the police car onto the central divider, but all five officers were safe. The people in the Brezza appeared nervous and tried to escape, but their car broke down.
When police searched the car, they found a black bag containing ten gold bars. An authorised State Bank of India evaluator confirmed the bars were 24-carat pure gold, weighing between 10.026 kg and 10.35 kg, and valued at Rs 15.39 crore to Rs 16 crore. The men could not show any bills, licences, or ownership documents.
The two men were identified as Sandeep Jaiswal, aged 28, from Thuthibari in Maharajganj, and Saroj Pant, 33, from Hungi village in Nepal’s Palpa district. After initial questioning at Talgram police station, both men and the gold were handed over to Customs and taken to Lucknow for further questioning. GST officials at the scene quickly suspected an international smuggling racket because a Nepali national was involved and the amount of gold was large.
During questioning, Jaiswal and Pant gave important details. Jaiswal said that cloth merchant Riyaz, who owns Riyaz Vastralaya in Thuthibari and lives on the Bypass, told him to go to Gorakhpur. There, Pant handed him the bag with the gold bars.
Their job was to deliver the gold to an unknown person in Delhi’s Daryaganj market, using only a vehicle number and a code word. They also admitted to moving three gold bars from Nepal to Delhi three days earlier. Customs found that the same Brezza had entered Nepal through the Maheshpur border on the morning of 21 August with a short-term pass and returned that evening, staying longer than allowed.
The investigation then focused on the border area. Teams comprising Customs officers from Nautanwa, Thuthibari, and Nichlaul, along with SSB personnel and local police, conducted intensive raids throughout Thuthibari. Jaiswal’s home was searched for documents, mobile phones, and financial records. At the same time, Riyaz’s house and cloth shop were raided, but he was not there.
Sources say the accused admitted to being involved in several earlier shipments, possibly moving gold worth large sums over the past three months. Authorities are now checking border records and financial transactions to confirm these claims.
The case has also become political. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed that 26 gold bars were found, but the police showed only 10 kg. Kannauj police and senior officials denied his claim, calling it baseless and politically motivated.
Customs officials are still trying to find out who was supposed to receive the gold in Delhi, trace the full financial trail, and learn exactly where it came from. In the coming days, they plan to examine the gold, review call records, and work with Nepali authorities.
