KARACHI: Gold weighing 300,000 tola and valued at over Rs4 crore was smuggled into Pakistan from the Persian Gulf area during the past three months by a gang of smugglers.

This disclosure was made in the confessions of five members of the gang to the Directorate of Customs Intelligence, which smashed the gang and rounded up some of its members during the last three days.

Officials of two foreign diplomatic missions in Pakistan, two big export-and-import Karachi firms, proprietor of an Elphinstone Street shop, two foreigners and 13 Pakistanis were involved in the smuggling racket. Fifteen of them have been arrested — 13 Pakistanis and two foreigners. The gang had been operating for at least three months.

Most of the gang’s transactions took place in a fashionable Karachi hotel, where large sums of money were passed on to the Pakistani members of the gang by two Hindus. It was in this hotel that the activities of the gang were detected by the Customs Intelligence.

Vigil was kept on two Hindus. It was discovered that the Hindus delivered large sums of money to certain people who stayed in the hotel. Their names appeared on a list carried by the two Hindus.

PM Nehru has a narrow escape

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had a narrow escape last night when a crude bomb exploded outside Delhi’s main railway station only three minutes after he had passed that way escorted by two motorcycle outriders.

Six persons, including a police constable were injured as a result of the explosion. They were removed to hospital. All street lights in the vicinity went off for a few moments when the explosion took place. The deputy commissioner concerned later told newsmen that he believed the incident was “planned by mischief-mongers”. — Agencies