GUWAHATI: In what has been described as the largest seizure ever made by Assam Police, officers recovered 37.064 kg of suspected gold valued at more than ₹54 crore, along with 13 grams of silver nodules and flakes, during an operation in the Kharghuli area on the night of June 29-30.
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According to a press brief issued by the Guwahati Police Commissionerate, the case has been registered as Case No. 42/2026 at Latasil Police Station. The operation was carried out by a team from Latasil PS acting on intelligence inputs from the Special Operations Group (SOG) and CGPD, and was supervised under the ADCP (Central) and ACP (Panbazar Division).
Besides the gold and silver, police seized four mobile phones, ₹3,755 in cash, and bags allegedly used to conceal the consignment.
The man arrested in connection with the case has been identified as Akshay Bansode, 32, originally from Sangli, Maharashtra. He had been staying in a rented room in Gandhibasti, Guwahati, for the past two months.
Briefing the media, the DCP (Central) said Bansode's role in the racket was that of a courier, tasked with receiving consignments and passing them on to another contact, for which he was paid a monthly salary of ₹80,000.
Police noted that the accused has limited mobility in his legs and had been disguising himself as a beggar, apparently to avoid drawing suspicion. He was reportedly waiting along the roadside in Kharghuli to hand over the gold, wrapped in a gamcha, when he was intercepted. Officials said this was not his first such delivery, he had previously handled a similar consignment of around 20 kg.
Investigators say the case points to a wider international gold smuggling network with links to the Middle East and Myanmar, alongside domestic connections to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Bangalore. No legal documents could be produced for the seized consignment.
Police said the accused remains in custody and that further investigation is underway to trace the full extent of the syndicate, identify previous deliveries, and follow financial trails linked to the network.