DRI seizes smuggled gold, cash and foreign currencies worth ₹10.48 crore; arrests four
The agency’s crackdown began with the receipt of a specific intelligence that foreign-origin gold from African countries was being smuggled into the city
MUMBAI: After receiving specific intelligence that smugglers were trafficking gold from Africa to India via Mumbai airport and were planning to send the gold to a melting facility to remove foreign markings, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted the syndicate on Wednesday and seized 9.67 kg of gold in various forms.
In addition to this, the DRI also seized Indian currency notes worth ₹1.92 crore and 1.9 lakh US Dollars, the total seizure amounted to ₹10.48 crore.
The agency nabbed four accused persons, including two African nationals who allegedly provided gold to it via carriers, the syndicate’s operator of a melting unit that processed smuggled foreign-origin gold for subsequent sale in the city and a man who coordinated its work, the agency sources said.
The agency’s crackdown on the syndicate began with the receipt of a specific intelligence suggesting that foreign-origin gold from African countries that were allegedly being smuggled into the city, through Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, was processed at a melting facility located at Zaveri Bazaar in the city, the sources said. The melting work was meant to remove foreign markings from the smuggled gold to divert them subsequently for sale locally in the city, the sources said.
Based on the intelligence, DRI began acting against the syndicate on Monday, when the suspected melting facility was searched by its Mumbai team. The agency’s examination led to the seizure of 9.31 Kg of gold, including foreign-origin gold, in various forms and 16.66 Kg of silver. The DRI also arrested the melting facility’s operator and a recruiter, suspected of being a key member of the trafficking syndicate whose work entailed coordination, including the provision of carriers and collecting smuggled gold for onward processing at the melting unit, the sources said.
{{/usCountry}}Based on the intelligence, DRI began acting against the syndicate on Monday, when the suspected melting facility was searched by its Mumbai team. The agency’s examination led to the seizure of 9.31 Kg of gold, including foreign-origin gold, in various forms and 16.66 Kg of silver. The DRI also arrested the melting facility’s operator and a recruiter, suspected of being a key member of the trafficking syndicate whose work entailed coordination, including the provision of carriers and collecting smuggled gold for onward processing at the melting unit, the sources said.
{{/usCountry}}The recruiter’s interrogation revealed that he was allegedly gathering smuggled gold from African nationals through carriers, would then process the yellow metal at the melting unit and the processed product’s handover to a local purchaser, the sources said. The agency’s search at the recruiter’s office premises led to the alleged recovery of USD1, 90,000, which had been paid to him by the purchaser under the agency’s scanner as an advance payment for delivery of smuggled gold.
{{/usCountry}}The recruiter’s interrogation revealed that he was allegedly gathering smuggled gold from African nationals through carriers, would then process the yellow metal at the melting unit and the processed product’s handover to a local purchaser, the sources said. The agency’s search at the recruiter’s office premises led to the alleged recovery of USD1, 90,000, which had been paid to him by the purchaser under the agency’s scanner as an advance payment for delivery of smuggled gold.
{{/usCountry}}A DRI team thereafter reached the office of the purchaser of the processed smuggled gold but he allegedly decamped, the sources said. The agency carried out a search of his office premises and allegedly recovered 351 grams of cut pieces of foreign-origin gold bars and 1, 818 grams of silver, along with ₹1.92 crores of cash, which were seized.
The probe by the agency revealed that two African nationals, from whom the accused recruiter had allegedly collected smuggled gold for processing, were staying in two city hotels. The agency sent two teams to each of the hotels to arrest the African nationals after their roles had been established. “All the four persons -the two carriers, the recruiter and the operator of the melting unit - have admitted to being involved in the smuggling of gold into India. This operation demonstrated DRI’s drive against smuggling in a professional manner,” the source said.
In March, the DRI had also busted another alleged gold-smuggling syndicate in the city, seizing 16.47 kilogram of gold valued at ₹10.48 crore and cash of ₹2.65 crore. The agency had also nabbed six accused allegedly connected to the syndicate, including the alleged masterminds. The agency had begun its crackdown on the syndicate on receipt of specific information about its alleged involvement in smuggling gold and its sale in the illicit markets, after which the premise used for the sale/purchase of such smuggled gold was searched.
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