15 kg gold, 20 kg silver and over ₹2 crore cash seized in nationwide operations; 13 accused arrested as DRI uncovers multiple smuggling networks linked to airports and interstate routes.
Highlights
- DRI seized 15 kg smuggled gold, 20 kg silver and ₹2.20 crore cash in nationwide operations.
- The total value of the seized gold and silver is estimated at around ₹22 crore.
- 13 people, including airport staff and foreign nationals, have been arrested.
- A Mumbai airport smuggling racket used transit passengers and compromised airport employees.
- Gold was concealed inside luggage frames, undergarments and specially modified vehicle cavities.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has dealt a major blow to organised gold smuggling networks by seizing 15 kg of smuggled gold, 20 kg of silver and more than ₹2 crore in cash during a series of coordinated operations across the country. The Finance Ministry said 13 people have been arrested in connection with the cases.
In one of the biggest operations, DRI officials in New Delhi recovered around 5 kg of foreign-origin gold, 20 kg of silver and ₹2.20 crore in cash, believed to be proceeds from the sale of smuggled precious metals. The seized gold and silver were valued at nearly ₹7.37 crore, and two people were arrested.
In another case at Delhi’s IGI Airport, officials intercepted a passenger arriving from Bagdogra. Around 1 kg of foreign-origin gold, worth nearly ₹1.35 crore, was found hidden inside the metallic frame of his luggage. The passenger was taken into custody.
A separate investigation at Mumbai Airport exposed a well-organised international gold smuggling syndicate. DRI seized around 5 kg of 24-carat gold dust in wax form, valued at about ₹7.5 crore. According to investigators, three foreign nationals smuggled the gold by concealing it inside their undergarments while transiting through Mumbai airport. The gold was allegedly handed over with the help of compromised airport employees.
Three airport staff members accused of facilitating the smuggling were also arrested, taking the total arrests in the Mumbai case to six. The Finance Ministry said the operation highlighted the growing insider threat posed by compromised airport personnel.
Meanwhile, in West Bengal, DRI officials intercepted two vehicles in Bidhannagar and Bardhaman. They recovered 32 foreign-origin gold biscuits weighing about 4 kg, valued at nearly ₹6 crore, from specially designed hidden cavities inside the vehicles. Four people were arrested in these operations.
The latest crackdown underscores DRI’s intensified efforts to dismantle organised smuggling networks operating through airports and interstate transport routes.
