3 Indians Arrested In Ghana For Allegedly Smuggling Gold
The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has announced the arrest and remand of three alleged Indian gold smugglers.
The suspects have been identified as Goutam Katriya, 35, Miraj Sarvaych, 22, and Manash Damani, 42.
According to a statement by Goldbod, the suspects who are workers of Unique MM- a company owned by one Musah Salifu- were arrested at their private residence around Atinga Junction in Kumasi, which has been converted into a gold trading center.
“The arrest was based on a tip-off from a patriotic whistleblower that the suspects were purchasing gold at ‘black market’ rate for the purpose of smuggling.”
Among the exhibits retrieved from them were an amount of 1.9 million cedis, 4,500 rupees, 4.363 kilograms of gold, two counting machines, a CCTV recorder and an Indian passport.
Preliminary investigations by National Security so far revealed, that none of the three suspects possess a valid license that allows them to purchase or deal in gold in the country.
“The suspects who have been dealing in gold in Ghana for over a decade, have not been able to adduce any residence permit or work permit or tax payment records on their business operations.”
“Additionally, it’s been revealed that Musah Salifu, a Ghanaian, who is alleged to be the sole shareholder of the Unique MM, is only a front for Goutam Katriya, the real beneficial owner and alter ego of the company.”
The suspects were arraigned before the Achimota Circuit court on April 28 and remanded into custody for a period of two (2) weeks and will during this period remain in NIB custody.
Chief Superintendent Osman Alhassan cautioned both Ghanaians and foreign nationals against violating the provisions of the Ghana Gold Board Act and other laws governing the gold trading sector of the country.
“This arrest is only the beginning of GoldBod’s ruthless war against illegal gold trading and gold smuggling. We know that the arrested suspects smuggle gold through unapproved border points into India. This has serious negative consequences for the Ghanaian economy. We are still gathering intelligence on several illegal gold traders and smugglers. And very soon, we shall take necessary action.”
He warned that a breach of these directives constitutes a punishable offence under the GoldBod Act, 2025 (ACT 1140).
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
