Guwahati: Customs authorities in the Northeast have been put on alert following a spurt in smuggling of gold from Thailand through the region's porous border with Myanmar.

In the wake of a string of gold seizures at airports and railway stations in Assam, the customs officials have intensified vigil along the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram and Manipur, through which most of the gold smuggling is believed to be taking place.

"From Thailand, the gold lands in Myanmar and is then pushed into India through border points such as Moreh in Manipur and Zokhawthar in Mizoram. According to our information, a few Indian businessmen in Yangon who are involved in it," a source said.

According the source, well-organised international rackets are involved in smuggling gold into the Northeast.

Last week, there had been three gold hauls at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport in Guwahati, two at Kumbhirgram airport in Silchar and one in Jorhat airport. In all these cases, the carriers were found to have concealed the gold in their body cavities to avoid detection.

"Smuggling of gold is taking place not only by air, but also by rail and road," the source said.

In December, 19kg of gold was seized and in November 6kg of gold was seized from passengers in Guwahati railway station.

There has been a surge in smuggling of gold across the country post-demonetisation to replace unaccounted cash, which has led to an enhanced vigil by enforcement sleuths on the traditional smuggling routes like Sri Lanka-Tamil Nadu, Bangladesh-Bengal and the Kandla port in Gujarat. As a result, the Myanmar-Northeast became a preferred route for the smugglers, the source said.

"After the gold is smuggled into Mizoram or Manipur, it is transported to cities like Calcutta and Delhi by air or rail from Guwahati, Dimapur, Silchar, Jorhat and so on," the source said.

The source added gold smuggling also remains a lucrative business in the country as the demand for gold in India never dips.