The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has intensified its crackdown on organised gold smuggling, seizing around 41 kg of foreign-origin gold valued at approximately ₹62 crore in six intelligence-led operations conducted in recent days.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the operations resulted in the arrest of 24 persons, including three foreign nationals. The seizures exposed multiple concealment methods and suspected smuggling networks operating through airports, railway routes and the Indo-Bangladesh border.
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
Issue/Event: Pan-India crackdown on gold smuggling
Location: Delhi, West Bengal, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, Bengaluru, Chennai and Calicut
Authority/Organisation: Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)
Action Taken: Around 41 kg foreign-origin gold seized; 24 people arrested
Impact: Multiple suspected smuggling networks and concealment methods exposed
In Delhi, DRI officers recovered around 10.2 kg of gold from a residential premises linked to a person allegedly involved in the procurement and conversion of foreign-origin gold. The premises had machinery for melting, rolling and die-cutting gold. Four 1-kg foreign-origin gold bars and around 6.2 kg of gold chains were recovered, and one person was arrested.
Another Delhi operation led to the seizure of 1.21 kg of gold and foreign currency worth around ₹43.50 lakh from a vehicle coming from Punjab.
At the Indo-Bangladesh border, DRI, in coordination with the BSF, seized around 11.3 kg of foreign-origin gold bars. In West Bengal, 4.6 kg of gold was recovered from a passenger at Howrah Railway Station, where the gold had been concealed using a specially designed cloth belt.
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
The seizures highlight the scale and sophistication of gold-smuggling networks using airports, rail routes, border corridors and concealed compartments to move foreign-origin gold into India.
In Mumbai, DRI uncovered a suspected network involving transit passengers and airport personnel. Eight capsules containing gold dust in wax form, weighing 3.47 kg, were seized and five people were arrested.
Other operations involved gold concealed inside a treadmill motor, beneath a vehicle gearbox, inside an aircraft and through other concealment methods at airports in Bengaluru, Chennai and Calicut.
