Jakarta. The Indonesian Police have arrested two Indian nationals in an investigation into a suspected network that processed illegally mined gold in Jakarta before smuggling it overseas, including to Dubai, a senior police officer said on Sunday.

The operation was allegedly capable of processing up to 30 kilograms of gold per day, according to Brig. Gen. Mohammad Irhamni, a director at the National Police's Criminal Investigation Agency.

At current gold prices of around Rp 2.6 million ($145) per gram, 30 kilograms would be worth about Rp 78 billion. If such volumes were processed daily, the operation could handle gold worth more than Rp 2 trillion ($111.9 million) a month.

Police raided two apartments in North Jakarta as part of the investigation and arrested the two Indian nationals, whose identities were not disclosed.

At the first apartment, investigators found approximately 2.5 kilograms of gold stored in a safe. The second location was allegedly being used to process gold before it was smuggled abroad, police said.

Investigators also discovered 18 pieces of white metal weighing a combined 18 kilograms, which police described as residue from the gold-processing operation.

"The amount of pure gold that has already been smuggled could be 10 times greater, considering that the residue alone amounts to this much," Irhamni was quoted as saying by Kompas.

That estimate remains part of the police investigation, and authorities have yet to establish the total quantity or value of gold allegedly smuggled by the network.

Police also seized an undisclosed amount of cash in Indonesian rupiah and US dollars, along with equipment believed to have been used to process the gold.

Irhamni said the two Indian nationals had been in Indonesia for approximately two months and had entered the country using passports and immigration documents related to investment or trading activities.

Investigators are still tracing the origin of the gold and its distribution network, including suspected shipments overseas.

Irhamni said the operation was among several groups identified by investigators as having alleged smuggling routes to Dubai. Police have mapped other individuals and networks suspected of involvement, he added.

The arrests early Sunday were part of an ongoing investigation developed from previous police inquiries.

Police will question the two Indian nationals and coordinate with the Indian Embassy in Jakarta before determining further legal and immigration measures, Irhamni said.

"We will first question the Indian nationals and then coordinate with the Indian Embassy," he said. "We will determine whether they will face legal proceedings and detention in Indonesia, deportation, or other measures."

Police also said they would continue pursuing Indonesian nationals suspected of involvement in the network.

Add as a preferred source on Google +