Nellore (Andhra Pradesh), Mar 11 (PTI) A total of 4.2 kg of 'smuggled' gold worth Rs 3.38 crore were seized by vigilance officials at the Venkatachalam toll gate in Nellore district, police said on Tuesday.

The gold was being transported illegally from Chennai to a trader in Nellore without proper documentation, police added.

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"Suspects were tracked, and we deployed a team of vigilance officials at Venkatachalam Toll Plaza, where they were caught carrying 4.2 kg of gold ornaments. The accused had transported the gold from Chennai to jewellery shops in Nellore for hallmarking and were returning with it without proper documentation," police told PTI.

A car travelling from Chennai was stopped and thoroughly checked at the toll gate, leading to the discovery of the gold, police said.

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Three individuals—Harsha Jain, Anna Ram, and Ranjit Kumar—were arrested in connection with the case.

As the case involves GST violations, the seized gold and the suspects were handed over to GST authorities, who have taken up the investigation, police said. No formal case has been registered yet.

Authorities suspect that the smuggling operation was intended to evade taxes and legal scrutiny. The seized gold has been handed over to the relevant authorities for further investigation, police said.

The vigilance team has intensified checks at key transit points to curb such illegal activities.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)