By Bhupen Goswami

Guwahati : Personnel of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and the police seized 18.5 kg of gold biscuits valued at around Rs 8 crore from a vehicle in central Assam’s Karbi Anglong district on Wednesday. Two persons were arrested in this connection, Superintendent of Police Gaurav Upadhyay told PTI. Following a tip-off, the securitymen accosted a vehicle at Manza and seized the gold biscuits, Upadhyay said adding that the car was going towards Guwahati from Imphal in Manipur. Its two occupants who hail from Thobal district of Manipur were arrested, he said.Is Guwahati becoming a transit point for organized gangs smuggling gold and narcotics to and from the region? A second gold haul, just 12-odd hours after the record seizure of gold biscuits worth Rs 8 crore, has reignited the debate whether the Assam capital city — gateway to the Northeast — has really become a transit point for such illegal trades. A team of CISF personnel recovered 664 grams of the yellow metal from a person at the Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi international airport, Guwahati. The person, who was later taken into custody, has been identified as Azmat Ali who was trying to smuggle out the precious metal to New Delhi. Incidentally, 112 gold biscuits weighing 18.5 kgs and valued at Rs 8 crore was seized from an SUV by a joint team of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials and Manza Police yesterday. The gold biscuits were stacked inside the chasis of the car.After the vehicle was intercepted at Manza in Karbi Anglong district, DRI and police officials recovered 100 gold biscuits. It was then brought to one of the manufacturer service centres where two more biscuits were recovered hidden inside the chassis of the vehicle.