DRI
Seizes Over 27 kg of Smuggled Gold Across India, Arrests 12 in Nationwide
Crackdown
1. Nationwide Anti-Smuggling Drive
o The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence
(DRI) conducted a series of intelligence-based operations across India, seizing
over 27 kg of
foreign-origin smuggled gold and arresting 12 persons.
2. Sophisticated Smuggling Techniques Exposed
o The operations revealed increasingly
sophisticated concealment methods, including:
§ Concealment inside aircraft lavatory
ceiling panels.
§ Gold dust hidden in wax form.
§ Specially fabricated cavities in vehicles
and utensils.
§ Body concealment using waist belts.
3. Mumbai Airport Operation – 12 kg Gold
Seized
o During 23–24 July 2026, DRI intercepted three
passengers arriving from Addis
Ababa.
o A search of the aircraft recovered six foreign-origin gold bars weighing
about 12 kg concealed in the ceiling panels of the rear
aircraft lavatory.
o Investigations revealed the passengers
intended the gold to be retrieved later by airport staff.
o All three passengers were arrested.
4. Uttar Pradesh Railway Operation – 5 kg
Gold Seized
o On 23
July 2026, DRI intercepted a female passenger travelling on the
Brahmaputra Mail.
o Officers recovered 42 foreign-origin gold bars weighing
about 5 kg, concealed in a waist belt and handbag.
o The passenger admitted the gold had been
smuggled into India through Bangladesh.
o The gold was seized and the passenger
arrested.
5. Mumbai Airport Gold Dust Racket Busted
o In another operation during 22–23 July 2026, DRI
uncovered a syndicate using aircraft lavatories to conceal 3.7 kg of gold dust in wax form.
o The gold was retrieved by compromised
aircraft cleaning staff.
o Five persons, including the carrier,
cleaning staff, handler and recipient, were arrested.
6. Kolkata Railway Station Seizure
o On 19–20
July 2026, DRI recovered 4.6
kg of foreign-origin gold concealed inside specially fabricated
utensils from a passenger at Kolkata Railway Station.
o Investigations revealed the gold had been
smuggled into India through Myanmar.
o The passenger was arrested.
7. Additional Seizures at Cochin and Guwahati
o In two separate operations, DRI seized around 2 kg of foreign-origin gold:
§ Cochin Airport: Gold
concealed inside the body of a passenger arriving from Dubai.
§ Guwahati: Gold
biscuits hidden in a specially fabricated cavity in a car.
o Two persons were arrested.
8. Organised Smuggling Networks Targeted
o The operations highlight DRI's continued
focus on dismantling organised gold-smuggling syndicates employing coordinated
networks involving carriers, handlers and facilitators.
The
DRI's coordinated intelligence-led operations across airports, railways and
road routes resulted in the seizure of over
27 kg of smuggled gold and exposed increasingly sophisticated
smuggling methods. The cases underscore the agency's intensified efforts to
disrupt organised transnational gold-smuggling networks operating through
multiple entry points into India.
[ABS News Service/27.07.2026]
Continuing its sustained crackdown on
organised gold smuggling syndicates, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)
has carried out a series of intelligence-driven operations across the country, resulting
in the seizure of over 27 kg foreign-origin smuggled gold and the arrest
of 12 persons. The operations exposed sophisticated concealment methods,
including concealment inside aircraft lavatories, specially fabricated cavities
in vehicles and utensils, and body concealment, highlighting the evolving modus
operandi adopted by organised smuggling syndicates.
Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers
at Mumbai intercepted three passengers on 23-24.07.2026 arriving from Addis Ababa
and, after an extensive search of the aircraft, recovered 6 foreign origin gold
bars weighing around 12 kg concealed inside the ceiling panels of the rear lavatory
of aircraft. Investigation revealed that the passengers had concealed the gold for
subsequent retrieval by airport staff. The gold was seized and all three passengers
were arrested.
On 23.07.2026, acting on specific
intelligence, officers of DRI intercepted a female passenger travelling on the Brahmaputra
Mail in Uttar Pradesh and recovered 42 foreign origin gold bars weighing around
5 kg concealed in a waist belt and inside her handbag. The passenger admitted
that the gold had been smuggled into India through Bangladesh. The gold was seized
and the passenger was arrested.
In another intelligence-led operation
at Mumbai Airport during 22-23.07.2026, DRI officers unearthed a smuggling
syndicate again using aircraft lavatories for concealment of gold dust in wax form,
which was subsequently retrieved by compromised aircraft cleaning staff. The operation
led to the seizure of 3.7 kg gold dust in wax form and the arrest of five
persons, including the carrier, cleaning staff, handler and recipient.
On 19-20.07.2026, officers of DRI
intercepted a passenger at Kolkata Railway Station and recovered 4.6 kg foreign-origin
gold, ingeniously concealed inside specially fabricated utensils. Investigation
revealed that the contraband had been smuggled into India through Myanmar. The gold
was seized and the passenger arrested.
During the week, in two more separate
operations, DRI officers at Cochin and Guwahati seized around 2 kg foreign-origin
gold. At Cochin Airport, gold concealed inside the body of a passenger arriving
from Dubai was recovered, while at Guwahati, gold biscuits concealed inside a specially
fabricated cavity in a car were seized. Two persons were arrested in these operations.