New Delhi [India], June 30 : In a major operation, the officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) successfully dismantled a trans-border gold smuggling syndicate and seized 15 kg of foreign-origin smuggled gold, valued at approximately Rs. 21.40 crore, operating from Delhi.
According to an official release from the Ministry of Finance, DRI officers intercepted an international courier consignment originating from Thailand at the Courier Terminal, Delhi. The consignment was in the name of a firm linked to a foreign national.
A meticulous examination of the consignment declared as "worn gear" led to the recovery of eight disc-shaped pieces of foreign-origin gold, each weighing 1.5 kg, ingeniously concealed inside gear parts. In total, 12 kg of smuggled foreign-origin gold was recovered from the courier consignment.
Simultaneous searches conducted at the residence of the intended recipient and the alleged mastermind resulted in the recovery of two more identical disc-shaped pieces of foreign-origin gold, each weighing 1.5 kg, the release said.
Four persons, including the mastermind, who is a repeat offender, and a foreign national, have been arrested in relation to the case.
Preliminary investigations also reveal that cryptocurrency was being used to transfer the money across borders to finance the smuggling, the release added.
Earlier, in a major crackdown against the smuggling of foreign-origin gold, the DRI successfully unearthed and dismantled a highly organised gold smuggling syndicate operating through Mumbai Airport.
As per the official release, in this operation, DRI detected and busted a gold melting facility that was used for melting foreign-origin smuggled gold.
A total of nine persons involved across the entire smuggling chain, including the airport staff, her handler, three intermediaries, the melting facility operator, and three persons engaged in the melting process, were arrested. Further, about 6 kg of foreign-origin smuggled gold recovered at the spot was seized.
This case underscored the evolving sophistication of organised gold smuggling syndicates, which increasingly exploit insider access at airports and employ layered distribution networks to evade detection.