Patna, Oct 12 (IANS): Three gold smugglers were arrested from Bihar's Muzaffarpur district on Monday evening in a joint operation by the Customs Department and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), officials said.

The sleuths have seized 36 gold biscuits, worth about Rs 3 crore, from their possession.

According to a DRI official, the alleged smugglers, intercepted at Maithi toll plaza under Gayghat police station in Muzaffarpur, purchased the gold from the Myanmar border and kept it in a specially-designed box underneath the engine of their luxury SUV, which a 'Press' sticker on it.

"During brief interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime. They are part of an international gold cartel. After collecting gold from the Myanmar border, they came to Guwahati where they installed a secret box underneath the engine. They kept the gold biscuits in the box and travelled towards Bihar using National Highway 27. The accused were given the assignment to deliver the gold to their handlers in Varanasi," the official said.

"During the search, the gold has A1 to C3 marks on it and is from a foreign country," the officer said.

"The interrogation is currently underway to identify other members of the syndicate. Two of the accused belong to Uttar Pradesh and one belongs to Delhi," he added.