Mumbai:
A courier consignment of cash, gold and diamond jewellery, worth an estimated Rs 200 crore (about $33 million) was seized in Mumbai late on Monday by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Income Tax (I-T) Department, an official said.
The cash-laden trucks, caught near Mumbai Central station, reportedly on their way to Gujarat. The operation is being billed as one of the biggest of its kind.
The consignment was brought in four big tempos, carrying around 150 bags full of cash and jewellery, stumping the investigators who suspect a terror angle, a top I-T official, requesting anonymity said today.
At least 47 people, including personal couriers, locally known as 'angadiyas', were detained and 20 were let off after initial questioning by the two agencies early this morning.
The operation was carried out following a tip-off received by the NIA at least a week ago. It roped in the I-T Department for help as a huge amount of cash was involved.
Swatantra Kumar Singh, DG, Income Tax (Investigations) told NDTV, "Tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, we will get the full information after the verification. The money was going to Gujarat. There is no doubt that the NIA had the information first, then they passed it on to us."
Ruling out any terror angle, the NIA said the consignment could be a part of a larger hawala racket operated by bullions and goldsmiths in Mumbai.
Last month, the Mumbai I-T department had raided 56 premises of bullion king Prithiviraj Kothari's RiddhiSiddhi Bullions Ltd for suspected tax evasion.
Counting of the cash and valuation of the jewellery is currently on at the I-T headquarters in Mumbai and the true value of the consignment is expected to be known only within another day or so, the official said.