DRI busts gold smuggling rackets in Mumbai, Delhi; seizes Rs 6 cr gold

DRI arrested a woman at Mumbai airport with 4 kg gold worth Rs 6 crore hidden in her trousers. In a separate operation, DRI busted a Delhi-based gold smuggling syndicate, seizing 9 kg gold and arresting eight people involved in the racket.

Woman arrested with Rs 6 crore gold at Mumbai airport

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officers, acting on specific intelligence inputs, intercepted a female passenger who arrived from Dubai at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. During a detailed inspection of her baggage and personal search, DRI officials recovered four foreign-marked gold bars weighing a total of 4,000 grams. The gold was allegedly concealed inside the passenger's trousers, officials said. The seized contraband, valued at around Rs 6 crore in the international market, has been confiscated. The passenger has been placed under arrest under relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. Authorities said further investigation is underway to trace the wider smuggling network involved in the case.

Delhi-based gold smuggling syndicate busted

Earlier on July 1, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officers busted another Delhi-based gold smuggling syndicate involved in smuggling foreign-origin gold from the North Eastern region to Delhi using multiple carriers travelling by different trains. The DRI has seized around 9 kg of smuggled foreign-origin gold, 42 kg of silver, foreign currency worth about Rs 8.15 crore, and Rs 26.67 lakh in Indian currency, while arresting eight people, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Finance. The syndicate staggered the movement of carriers to reduce the risk of detection. They operated a melting facility in a densely populated residential area of Delhi, the release said. (ANI)

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