By Divyesh Singh: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officers busted a syndicate working in coordination with international transit passengers and airport staff involved in the smuggling of gold into India, at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, on Sunday.
The DRI officers arrested 11 people, including suspected transit passengers, duty-free shop staff and food court staff at the airport.
During the probe, the officers recovered 3.35 kg of gold in paste form worth Rs 2.1 crores.
The investigation revealed that the accused passengers who smuggle the gold, travel from Bangkok to Dubai and vice versa during their transit in India. After landing at the Mumbai airport, they hand over the gold to the airport staff who are a part of the syndicate. The staff then carry the smuggled gold outside the airport and hand it over to a person at different places like a petrol pump near the airport metro.
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During the probe, the officials arrested the person concerned who recruited people for the clearance of gold from the airport. He was nabbed while travelling from Delhi to Mumbai.
After the arrest, further leads were developed and other members of the syndicate were apprehended who were managing the arrangement of the transit carriers, like collecting the gold and financing the whole smuggling.
This syndicate was involved in smuggling substantial quantities of gold on a daily basis using this novel modus operandi.
This unique method opted by the busted syndicate indicates the challenges faced by the DRI to check syndicates that smuggle gold in various forms into the country.
Further investigation into unearthing and neutralising syndicates involved in the illegal inflow of gold into the country is underway.
