Agartala, Jan 7 (AHN) In a major crackdown on smuggling of gold and financial crimes, the Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), seized gold biscuits and unaccounted Indian currency worth Rs 21.87 crore in Tripura, officials said on Wednesday.

A defence spokesman said that acting on secret inputs, the joint operation was conducted at Shantipara in the heart of the capital city and in Dhaleswar on the outskirts of the city and arrested three persons, identified as Kunal Jaiswal, Ajay Naha and Rakesh Das.

He said that during the operation, gold biscuits weighing approximately 14 kg, valued at around Rs 19 crore, along with Indian currencies amounting to Rs 2.87 crore, were recovered.

“The successful seizure was carried out by Assam Rifles and DRI based on specific intelligence inputs,” the spokesman said.

The seized gold and currency were subsequently handed over to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for further investigation and legal proceedings.

An Assam Rifles statement said that the operation highlights the continued vigilance and coordinated efforts of Assam Rifles in collaboration with sister agencies to curb illegal activities and maintain security in the region.

Based on intelligence input, in another operation of trafficking of counterfeit goods, Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with the Customs Department, Silchar (Assam), recovered counterfeit cigarettes from a godown worth Rs 34 lakhs.

The consignment was being transported via Silchar for further supply to other states in India, the defence spokesman stated.

An official statement said that the Assam Rifles and Customs Department in Silchar have been at the forefront of operations against counterfeit goods in the region, conducting regular operations to disrupt and dismantle the counterfeit networks.

This seizure is a significant milestone in the effort to combat counterfeit goods trafficking, the spokesman said.