DRI seizes gold worth Rs 12.58 crore at Mumbai airport; 13 held

Mumbai, Oct 11 (PTI) The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has seized gold worth Rs 12.58 crore, brought in by carriers who had concealed it inside their bodies, at Mumbai airport, and arrested 13 persons, including airport staffers, officials said on Saturday.

Under ‘Operation Golden Sweep’, DRI’s Mumbai zonal unit exposed the gold smuggling syndicate, an official said.

During the operation, DRI arrested two Bangladeshi nationals, six Sri Lankan citizens, two staffers of a meet-and-greet service, two handlers and the mastermind, he said.

A total of 10.5 kg of gold, worth about Rs 12.58 crore, was seized from them.

The gold syndicate used transit passengers from Dubai to Singapore, Bangkok, and Dhaka via Mumbai to act as carriers, who concealed the yellow metal in egg-shaped wax capsules inside their bodies, he said.

Upon arrival in Mumbai, these transit passengers handed over the smuggled gold to complicit airport employees within the international departure area, he said. The staffers would then take the gold out of the airport premises and deliver it to outsiders, the official said.

The syndicate, operated by masterminds based in Mumbai and Dubai, employed transit passengers, airport staff, handlers and several layers of receivers, the official added. PTI DC NR