Gold Smuggling Returns as Price Hits 1.27L Mark, DRI Launches “Operation Golden Sweep”; 10.5 kg Gold Worth ₹12.58 Crore Seized in Mumbai, 13 Arrested Including Airport Staff

· DRI Cracks Down on Major Gold Smuggling Syndicate Involving Transit Passengers and Airport Staff at Mumbai under “Operation Golden Sweep”; 10.5 kg gold worth ₹12.58 crore seized, 13 arrested

Operation Overview

· The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) executed “Operation Golden Sweep” at CSMI Airport, Mumbai, targeting a transnational gold smuggling syndicate.

· Seized: 10.488 kg of 24-karat foreign-origin gold, valued at ₹12.58 crore.

· 13 individuals arrested, including:

o 2 Bangladeshi nationals

o 6 Sri Lankan nationals

o 2 airport staff (meet-and-greet service)

o 2 handlers

o 1 mastermind based in Mumbai

Modus Operandi

· Transit passengers from Dubai to Singapore, Bangkok, and Dhaka via Mumbai acted as carriers, concealing gold in egg-shaped wax capsules inside their bodies.

· Upon arrival, gold was discreetly handed to complicit airport staff in the international departure area.

· Staff smuggled gold out of the airport and delivered it to handlers and receivers, coordinated by the mastermind.

Enforcement and Implications

· The operation exposed a sophisticated, multi-layered smuggling network involving foreign nationals and insider airport personnel.

· Highlights the growing insider threat within critical infrastructure and the exploitation of transit routes.

Status

· Further investigation is ongoing to trace deeper links and prevent future breaches.

[ABS News Service/13.10.2025]

Based on an intelligence developed by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), during an operation code-named “Operation Golden Sweep”, foreign nationals, airport staffers and other members of an international gold smuggling syndicate were apprehended at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International (CSMI) Airport, Mumbai, and seized 10.488 kg of 24 karat foreign-origin gold, valued at approximately ₹12.58 crore.

Through this operation, the DRI successfully dismantled a highly-organised gold smuggling syndicate and arrested 13 persons, including two Bangladeshi, six Sri Lankan Nationals, two airport staff of a meet-and-greet service, two handlers and the mastermind in Mumbai.

Investigations revealed that a trans-national syndicate adopted a sophisticated modus operandi wherein transit passengers from Dubai to Singapore, Bangkok, and Dhaka via Mumbai acted as carriers, concealing gold in egg-shaped wax capsules inside their bodies.

Upon arrival in Mumbai, these transit passengers discreetly handed over the smuggled gold to complicit airport staff within the international departure area. The staff then illicitly removed the smuggled gold from the airport premises and delivered it to handlers and receivers, who coordinated with the mastermind. The syndicate, operated by masterminds based in Mumbai and Dubai employed transit passengers, airport staff, handlers and several layers of receivers.

This successful operation underscores DRI’s intelligence capabilities, swift execution, and coordinated enforcement efforts in unearthing the evolving methods of smuggling syndicates. It also highlights the growing insider threat within sensitive infrastructure, as organised syndicates seek to exploit transit routes and airport personnel for monetary gain.

Further investigation is in progress.

The DRI remains steadfast in its mission to safeguard India’s economic interests and national security from the threats posed by such transnational criminal syndicates.