DRI Busts Pan-India Gold Smuggling Network, 11 Arrested
6.61 kg foreign-origin gold worth ₹10.36 crore seized; syndicate allegedly moved 318 kg of smuggled gold worth ₹475 crore through courier channels in nine months
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 28th Sept: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted a pan-India gold smuggling syndicate and seized 6.61 kg of foreign-origin smuggled gold valued at around ₹10.36 crore, the agency said on Monday.
The operation resulted in the arrest of 11 people, including one of the alleged masterminds behind the network.
According to the DRI, the syndicate was operating through courier channels and had transported approximately 318 kg of smuggled gold valued at around ₹475 crore during the past nine months.
Multi-City Operation
Acting on specific intelligence regarding the regular smuggling of foreign-origin gold through the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal and Assam, followed by its movement to different parts of the country through courier consignments, the DRI launched a coordinated multi-city operation on September 23 and 24.
Simultaneous interceptions and searches were carried out in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Guwahati.
During the operation, DRI officials intercepted live courier consignments containing allegedly smuggled gold. The consignments had been booked from Guwahati and Kolkata for delivery to Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad.
Seven recipients of the consignments were apprehended during the operation. Simultaneously, searches at the premises of consignors or shippers in Kolkata led to the arrest of three more people.
In a follow-up operation, the DRI also apprehended one of the alleged masterminds who was coordinating the dispatch and delivery of the smuggled gold in Mumbai.
Gold Split Into Small Courier Consignments
The investigation found that the syndicate was allegedly splitting smuggled gold into multiple small courier consignments to transport it from Guwahati and Kolkata to different recipients in Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad.
The gold was allegedly intended for disposal in the domestic market.
According to the DRI, the consignors, shippers and recipients associated with the consignments were paper entities or persons without legitimate gold transactions. The agency said this indicated the deliberate use of the courier network to conceal and distribute the smuggled gold.
₹10.36 Crore Gold Seized
A total of 6.61 kg of foreign-origin gold in bar form, valued at approximately ₹10.36 crore, was recovered from the intercepted consignments.
The gold was seized under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and 11 people associated with the alleged syndicate have been arrested.
The DRI said preliminary scrutiny of documentary evidence has revealed the scale of the network’s operations.
During the first nine months of the current calendar year, approximately 318 kg of allegedly smuggled gold worth around ₹475 crore had been transported and delivered through the same courier-based network, according to the agency.
Further investigation is underway.
