DRI Cracks Down: Rs 5 Crore Gold Smuggling Ring Busted at Mumbai Airport
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has dismantled a significant international gold smuggling syndicate operating through Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The operation, codenamed “Golden Nexus,” led to the seizure of 3.2 kg of foreign-origin gold valued at nearly Rs 5 crore and the arrest of seven individuals, including three airport staff members.
The operation exposed a well-organized network that allegedly used transit passengers arriving from abroad and airport insiders to move smuggled gold out of the airport and into the local market. According to DRI officials, the agency had received specific intelligence suggesting that certain airport employees were involved in collecting gold from foreign nationals transiting through Mumbai and helping move it outside the airport premises.
Acting on this information, DRI officers kept surveillance on the suspects and intercepted three airport staff members while they were allegedly handling and delivering a consignment of smuggled gold to a local receiver. The arrested airport employees include two bus or coach drivers and a coach monitor working within the airport transit system. Investigators believe they played a crucial role in ensuring that the smuggled gold moved undetected through different layers of airport operations.
The probe did not stop there. Based on leads gathered during the operation, DRI officers quickly identified and intercepted three transit passengers who were preparing to leave India on connecting flights. The passengers included one Bangladeshi national and two Sri Lankan nationals. Officials said the carriers had allegedly smuggled the gold into India by concealing it inside their bodies. Subsequent searches led to the recovery of approximately 3.2 kg of 24-carat gold dust in wax form. The seized gold is estimated to be worth around Rs 5 crore in the domestic market.
A seventh accused, believed to be the intended recipient of the smuggled consignment in Mumbai, was also arrested during the operation. The gold has been seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and all seven accused have been placed under arrest. Investigators are now examining the wider network and financial links behind the syndicate.
Officials described the operation as significant, particularly at a time when the government has imposed duties and taxes on gold imports to curb illegal inflows and protect economic interests. The successful crackdown highlights the growing use of intelligence-based enforcement to combat organized smuggling networks operating through major international airports.
