The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in Mumbai on Monday said that it has busted an another gold smuggling racket under its ongoing `Operation Golden Sweep` and seized around 4 kg gold.
It said that the officials have also arrested four people in connection with the matter.
“Around 4 kg of foreign-origin gold worth Rs 4.64 crore was seized by the DRI officials from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport,” said an official.
During the operation four suspects including an airport staff member, two handlers and one passenger who smuggled the gold were arrested by the officials.
The DRI said that the investigations have revealed a well-organised smuggling syndicate. The gold was concealed on the body of a passenger arriving from Niamey, Niger.
“After landing, the passenger hid the gold in the aircraft’s overhead cabin. The airport staffer then retrieved it and handed it over to handlers outside the airport, who were tasked with further delivery through a network of middlemen,” officials said.
The DRI is continuing its probe to track down other members of this international network and trace their financial transactions, they said.
Last week, the DRI had made a major seizure of 10.5 kg of 24-karat gold, worth Rs 12.58 crore, and arrested 13 people, including 8 transit passengers, 2 airport staff, 2 handlers, and the mastermind of the earlier smuggling case.
In total, under “Operation Golden Sweep”, over 14 kg of smuggled gold worth nearly Rs 17 crore has been recovered so far.
The DRI reaffirmed its commitment to safeguard India’s borders, curb illegal trade, and protect the country`s economic interests from transnational smuggling threats, the official statement said.
