Jaipur Airport: 75 jewellers quizzed in connection with seizure of gold and silver worth Rs 76 Crore

Jaipur: Some prominent jewellers of Jaipur are under investigation after income tax department seized 200 kg of gold and 3500 Kg of silver worth Rs 76 crore from the air cargo at Jaipur International Airport in Sanganer on Tuesday.

The income tax department has interrogated nearly 75 prominent jewellers of Rajasthan since the seizure. Some of the businessmen were called in for interrogation late on Wednesday. The seizure can unearth a big scam if proper documents and records – proving origin of the valuables – were not found in possession of the jewellers.

The investigation branch of the income tax department caught 200 kg gold jewellery and 3500 kg silver jewellery at Sanganer Air Cargo on Tuesday afternoon. Their worth is estimated to be around Rs 76 crores. Out of which, the market value of the gold is estimated to be Rs 60 crore and silver of Rs 16 crores.

According to IT department officials, this jewellery is related to some jewellery exhibition and was brought to Jaipur from Mumbai. The department has not seized the jewellery but took it under custody till further investigations.

The department is investigating whether the jewellery traders have the records of its origin with them or not. Upon receipt of the documents, further action will be decided.

Names of five prominent jewellery businessmen came to the notice of the income tax department immediately after the seizure. These five were called in for verification late night on Tuesday.

The delivery of this jewellery was in the name of a jeweler located near Savitri Path in Jaipur’s Bapu Nagar. But the jeweller runs a small business giving rise to questions as to how he arranged for such a large amount of valuables. Searches at the jeweller’s business establishment are going on.