DRI seizes smuggled gold worth ₹8.5 crore, five arrested

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 13.7 kg of smuggled gold worth ₹8.5 crore in a pan-India operation against an international smuggling syndicate. Five alleged operatives of the syndicate have been arrested, including three in Mumbai. The syndicate smuggled gold into India via the Indo-Bangladesh border and sent it to cities like Mumbai, Nagpur, and Varanasi by road or rail. This operation follows a previous seizure of 31.7 kg of gold worth ₹19 crore from suspected operatives of the same syndicate in early October.

MUMBAI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 13.7 kg of foreign-origin smuggled gold worth ₹8.5 crore in a pan-India operation against an international smuggling syndicate. It has also arrested five alleged operatives of the syndicate including three persons in Mumbai.

DRI seizes smuggled gold worth ₹8.5 crore, five arrested

The syndicate allegedly smuggled gold into India via the Indo-Bangladesh border, following which it was sent to cities like Mumbai, Nagpur and Varanasi by road or rail, said agency sources. DRI had seized 31.7 kg of gold worth ₹19 crore from suspected operatives of another branch of the same syndicate in early October.

In its latest operation, the DRI Mumbai zonal unit intercepted two individuals allegedly carrying smuggled gold by bus near Pune on October 30 and recovered 5 kg of gold from their possession. The DRI team conducted a search at the residence of their alleged handler in Sangli the next day and learnt that two more carriers of the syndicate were in the process of carrying smuggled gold to Nagpur from Varanasi.

DRI officials shared this information with their Varanasi team, which intercepted the two carriers leading to the seizure of 8.7 kg of smuggled gold on October 31.

“Concerted actions of the DRI Mumbai, Goa regional unit and the Varanasi team led to the recovery of a total of 13.7 kg smuggled gold valued at ₹8.5 crore,” said a DRI source said. The agency has nabbed a total of five accused persons, three of them in Mumbai and two in Varanasi.

“The operation is a manifestation of DRI’s ability to undertake a coordinated approach to counter the flagrant attempts at smuggling by various syndicates,” the source said. The syndicate expects to earn a profit of ₹7 lakh from each kilogram of smuggled gold brought into India, HT had reported earlier.

In its earlier operation, the DRI Mumbai team had traced five of the accused to Mumbai after they reached the city by train from Varanasi allegedly carrying 4.9 kg of smuggled gold, which was recovered from them.

The DRI Nagpur team had also apprehended two alleged carriers of gold when they alighted at Nagpur railway station. They had travelled to the city from Kolkata and 8.5 kg of foreign-marked gold was recovered from them.

In all, the DRI had nabbed 11 accused persons last month who allegedly played different roles for the syndicate including carriers/passengers, handlers and recipients of smuggled gold.