DRI busts pan-India gold smuggling network and seizes around 6.6 kg of foreign-origin gold worth more than Rs. 10 crore; 11, including a mastermind, arrested

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has dismantled a pan-India gold smuggling syndicate, arresting 11 individuals, including a mastermind. The operation, conducted across Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and Guwahati, resulted in the seizure of 6.61 kg of foreign-origin gold valued at Rs. 10.36 crore. Investigations revealed the syndicate utilized courier networks to transport gold smuggled via the Indo-Bangladesh border, splitting shipments into smaller consignments to evade detection. Documentary evidence suggests that over the past nine months, the syndicate successfully transported 318 kg of smuggled gold, with an estimated value of Rs. 475 crore, using courier channels for distribution into the domestic market. The seizures were executed under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.