DRI launches search for key members of gold smuggling syndicate

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in Mumbai has seized 7.4 kg of foreign-origin gold and arrested six people as part of an international gold smuggling syndicate. The DRI is conducting a search operation to find key members involved in the syndicate and to investigate the sources for purchase, sale, and distribution of the smuggled gold. The syndicate has been smuggling gold over several months on a global level, with connections to Dubai and Thailand. The DRI acted on intelligence and intercepted an airline employee who was found to be carrying gold concealed in his shoes. The employee said he had been working for the smugglers since January this year.

MUMBAI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)’s Mumbai unit, which seized around 7.4 kg of foreign-origin gold and arrested six persons on Sunday, has launched a search operation for the key members involved in the international syndicate.

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The members of the syndicate specialises in smuggling foreign-origin gold dust-in-wax into the country, through the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

The involvement of the members and sources for purchase of the gold, sale, and distribution of the smuggled gold, among others, are being investigated, sources said. “The arrested accused persons are part of an international gold smuggling syndicate and have committed a grave economic offense that causes a serious threat to the financial health of the country,” a source said.

Incriminating evidence has been gathered and a detailed analysis of the same is under process, the source said.

The syndicate has allegedly been involved in smuggling gold over the past several months in an organised manner on a global level. Among the arrested accused are two alleged carriers who arrived in Mumbai from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Phuket, Thailand, indicating the overseas network of the syndicate, sources said.

One of the accused, who was allegedly associated with a city-based gold melting facility that was used by the syndicate to process smuggled gold for further sale in the market, revealed that he and a co-accused had two designated mobile phones at their facility for taking delivery of the smuggled gold, sources said.

The agency had received intelligence that a passenger arriving at the CSMIA from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at around 9.30am on Saturday would be carrying some contraband with him and leave the contraband in the aircraft, which will be further picked up by an unknown ground staff of the airline, who would smuggle it out of the airport, avoiding Customs duty.

Acting on the intelligence, the DRI team intercepted a security employee. The frisking of the employee in front of an independent panchas yielded allegedly two black packets containing gold dust-in-wax, weighing around 1.7 kg, concealed in his shoes.

The employee told the agency that the two gold packets were left by a passenger in the seat pocket of seat 22f. The airline employee said that he would get ₹50,000 from the smuggling syndicate for pick-up of the gold left by any passenger, and he had been working for the smugglers since January this year.

The DRI, thereafter, identified the passenger and questioned him after intercepting him at the Baggage Scanning Machines - area. The passenger revealed that he had allegedly been asked by a person to carry the gold and leave it behind in the aircraft and that he was asked to leave the airport and then contact a man, who was in touch with the airline employee too, to tell him about the gold packets he had left behind and to collect his commission from him.