The north Bengal zonal unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized around 23 kilos of gold near Malbazar of Jalpaiguri that had been smuggled into India through the India-Myanmar border.

Gold worth Rs 11.66 crores, which was on its way to Calcutta, was so cleverly hidden in two SUVs that police had to sent the vehicles to experts at a workshop of the car company to figure it out.

The SUVs were intercepted late on Wednesday based on a tipoff and the gold was found on Friday night. Four residents of Mizoram, arrested in this connection, were produced in court on Saturday.

Ratan Banik, the lawyer representing the DRI, said the court sent them in judicial custody till October 14. A DRI source said that experts at the car workshop did a thorough inspection for two days and found 21 gold pieces.

In each SUV, cylindrical gold pieces were concealed in an iron pipe on the rear part of the chassis near the rear wheels. The pipe was further covered with a rubber sheet.

“From one vehicle, we recovered 12 such pieces, and from the other eight,” said the source.

Those arrested are Imanuel Dawnsuankhaia and S. Paullamthanga from Champai and S.Gosuanliana and S.Lalchhuanthanga from Aizawl.