On Monday, 8th July, Surat Police’s Special Operation Group (SOG) busted a gang that smuggled gold worth Rs 7 crores from Dubai to India in 25 trips. The gang was being run by a Maulvi identified as Abdul Bemaat who has been arrested by the police. His three accomplices identified as Umaima Saleh, Naeem Salej and Feroz Ibrahim Noor, have also been arrested in the matter. During interrogation, Bemaat admitted that his gang smuggled 10 KG gold worth Rs 7 crores to Vadodara in 25 trips. The gold was delivered to to a jeweler named Faizal Memon in Vadodara.
The news of the Surat police SOG arresting a Molvi and a couple with 65 lakh rupees worth of gold from Dubai is concerning.
— Harsh Sanghavi (@sanghaviharsh) July 10, 2024
The revelation that they were adulterating the gold by adding chemicals and converting it into paste form for smuggling. pic.twitter.com/ykwgFznFuV
Reports suggest that Maulvi Bemaat was the mastermind of the gold smuggling gang. To save himself from authorities, he used a South African number to communicate with others via WhatsApp. The police examined his mobile phone and found out that he frequently contacted his contacts in Dubai and South Africa via calls and chats. The Gujarat ATS, Income Tax Department, and ED, have joined the investigation against the Maulvi. Police also recovered 30 passenger passports copied on his mobile. He traveled to Sharjah and Dubai ten times from Surat. Investigation revealed he smuggled gold from Sharjah.
સુરત: દાણચોરોની મોડસ ઓપરેન્ડીનો પર્દાફાશ, સુરત SOGની કાર્યવાહી ગોલ્ડ સ્મગલિંગ કરતી ગેંગને ઝડપી પાડી | TV9Gujarati#surat #goldsmugling #sog #airport #gujarat #tv9gujarati pic.twitter.com/do2AFkstpZ
— Tv9 Gujarati (@tv9gujarati) July 8, 2024
Maulvi Bemaat is a migrant from Maharashtra. He had been smuggling gold for the past 2.5 years. Bemaat secured his passport in 2016. From 2003 to 2017, he worked in Jamiyar Islamia Madarsa in Akkalkuva in Maharashtra. After 2019, he worked at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-based Markaze Islami Madarsa. After the COVID-19 pandemic, he moved to Mosali with his wife and daughter.
As per the report, PI Ashok Chaudhary of Surat SOG received information about Bemaat’s operations. As per the information, his gang would sneak gold into India in travelling bags. The smugglers boarded the Dubai-Surat flight late on Saturday night and were supposed to deliver it to Shivam Hotel near Jahangirpura. Police set up a trap near the hotel and apprehended two of the accused in an Ertiga car and a couple from a Maruti Tours taxi. A rubbery layer was found between the resin and the bottom plastic of the bag made with gold paste.
બેગની અંદર પેસ્ટ બનાવીને ગોલ્ડનું સ્મગલિંગ..! સુરત SOG એ ગોલ્ડ સ્મગલિંગ કરતી ગેંગ ઝડપી, 60 લાખથી વધુનું ગોલ્ડ જપ્ત કર્યું….#surat #goldsmuggling #smugglinggang #gold #viral #viralvideo #gujarat #ZEE24KALAK pic.twitter.com/gWzfASyXaA
— Zee 24 Kalak (@Zee24Kalak) July 8, 2024
Among the arrested accused in the case, Umaima and Naeem are husband and wife. Their job was to function as carriers. The police recovered gold worth Rs 64.89 lakh from them. The gang converted the gold into a paste and layered it in trolley bags. They used the special chemical Acorizia to prevent the detection of gold at the airport. Despite their efforts, Surat SOG managed to crack down on the gang.
સુરત SOGએ સોનાની દાણચોરીના કેસમાં મોટી સફળતા મેળવી#Surat #SOG #GoldSumgglingCase #BigSuccess #Gujarat #NewsCapitalGujarat #JaneCheGujarat pic.twitter.com/fcdcjOYR2V
— NewsCapital Gujarat (@NewsCapitalGJ) July 8, 2024
Upon testing with the help of experts, the gold was extracted and it was found to be 927 grams worth Rs 64.89 lakhs. The four accused were arrested on the spot. All the accused are natives of Mangrol, rural Surat. Maulvi, who is the mastermind of the gang, works in a madrasa on a monthly salary of Rs 6,500.
Maulvi was the sender as well as an investor in the smuggling of the gold. Feroz worked as a driver for the gang. All four accused were sent to four-day police custody. The Vadodara-based jeweller Faizal Memon who bought gold from the gang has been declared wanted in the matter. Additionally, the police have declared Maulvi’s relatives Sokhat and Shehzad who are residents of Johannesburg and Dubai as wanted in the case. The police believe that these two helped in smuggling gold from foreign countries to India. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
