MADURAI: A riverbank find that sounds straight out of a treasure hunt has left the Ramanathapuram police with more questions than answers. A Kattunayakan tribe member claims he stumbled upon 38 gold bars weighing nearly 3.8 kg each in the Thamirabarani River — but 24 of them bear Swiss markings, prompting the Customs Department to suspect the gold may have been smuggled into India.
The gold bars, along with 28 sovereigns of jewellery and Rs 12.1 lakh in cash, were seized from Kutty alias Saravanan (50) of Athur in Thoothukudi and his five relatives during a vehicle check within the Kenikkarai police limits on September 17. The gold bars are estimated to be worth around Rs 5 crore.
The claim that the gold was simply found in the river, however, has come under scrutiny.
The Customs Department has informed the Ramanathapuram police that 24 bars, bearing the names Valcambi Suisse and Airgar, are from Switzerland and are suspected of having been smuggled into India through illegal routes. It said action would be initiated under Sections 110 and 111 of the Customs Act.
“These 24 gold bars, bearing the names Valcambi Suisse and Airgar, are from Switzerland, while the remaining 14 bars are from MMTC-PAMP, a Government of India-authorised gold-bar seller. However, the standard response given by the member of the Kattunayakan community during our inquiry was that he had found the gold bars in the Thamirabarani River,” G Chandeesh, Superintendent of Police, Ramanathapuram, told DT Next.
The five — two from Ramanathapuram district and three from Thoothukudi district — are relatives. Police said they claim to have recovered the gold a couple of months ago.
Balu Kutty alias Saravanan (50) of Athur in Thoothukudi district told police that he had found the gold in the river and distributed the bars among his relatives for safekeeping and to sell them. He reportedly said he did not feel it was safe to keep the gold at his thatched house near the river.
Police suspect that the group may have sold part of the gold, lost some in the process or been cheated while attempting to dispose of the bars. No one has come forward so far to claim ownership of the gold.
Though some members of the Kattunayakan community have been involved in robbery cases, police said the five persons in the present case do not appear to have any criminal antecedents. This has added another layer to the mystery surrounding the origin of the gold.
With the five unable to produce valid documents for the valuables, the Kenikkarai police registered a case under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) on September 18 and seized the goods. The Judicial Magistrate Court-I subsequently directed that the valuables be kept in the safe custody of the District Treasury Officer.
The Ramanathapuram police then wrote to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the Customs Department on September 19. In communications dated September 22 and 24, the Customs Department informed the police that it was ready to take custody of the gold in accordance with the prescribed legal process.
Customs has specifically flagged the 24 Swiss-marked bars, suspecting that they entered India through illegal routes. Action under Sections 110 and 111 of the Customs Act is expected to follow, the SP said.
“After we seized the valuables, we photographed them using the eSakshya (e-Evidence) App. We will hand over the gold bars to the Customs Department shortly through the court,” Chandeesh said.
The Ramanathapuram police are expected to hand over the gold bars, currently kept with the District Treasury Officer, to Customs through the court within the next two days.
The Customs Department has also expressed its willingness to take custody of the remaining 14 Indian-made gold bars and investigate their origin, as the five also lacked valid documentation.
For now, the central question remains unanswered: Did the Kattunayakans really strike gold in the Thamirabarani — or did a smuggling trail end up in their hands?