DRI seizes Nepal-smuggled gold worth ₹2.76 crore

Acting on specific intelligence that the duo, residents of Siddharthnagar district, were transporting gold allegedly smuggled from Nepal to Delhi, DRI officers intercepted the bus and conducted a search.

: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Lucknow unit seized 1.996 kg of foreign-origin gold, valued at approximately ₹2.76 crore, from two passengers travelling on a Delhi-bound bus in Barabanki on Monday, officials said on Tuesday.

According to the agency, since January 2026, it has seized a total of 16.47 kg of smuggled foreign-origin gold, valued at approximately ₹24 crore, in 10 separate cases across the state. (For representation only)

Acting on specific intelligence that the duo, residents of Siddharthnagar district, were transporting gold allegedly smuggled from Nepal to Delhi, DRI officers intercepted the bus and conducted a search. The two passengers had boarded the bus in Basti after travelling from Siddharthnagar and had allegedly booked their tickets using fictitious names to conceal their identities, according to the agency.

A search led to the recovery of two bars of high-purity, foreign-origin gold weighing 1.996 kg. The gold had been concealed beneath the sole of a shoe worn by one of the passengers, officials said. The seized gold was valued at approximately ₹2.76 crore, and the passengers were arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.

Further investigation is underway to identify other members of the alleged smuggling syndicate and establish the wider network involved in the operation. The seizure comes as the DRI has intensified surveillance on vulnerable routes in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the upcoming elections.