In an official statement on 11th October, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), which operates under the Ministry of Finance, announced that it has dismantled an international gold smuggling syndicate operating through Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMI), Mumbai. The agency has seized 10.5 kg of 24-carat foreign-origin gold worth ₹12.58 crore and arrested 13 individuals, including airport employees and foreign nationals.
Transit passengers used as carriers
According to the DRI, the operation was launched following specific intelligence inputs. The syndicate had adopted a highly sophisticated modus operandi involving transit passengers flying from Dubai to destinations such as Singapore, Bangkok, and Dhaka via Mumbai. The passengers carried gold concealed in egg-shaped wax capsules inside their bodies.
When they arrived at the airport, the transit passengers allegedly handed over the contraband to complicit airport staff within the international departure area. The staff members would then smuggle the gold out of the airport and pass it on to handlers and receivers working under the direction of the Mumbai-based mastermind linked to Dubai operatives.
Inside job and growing security concerns
The arrested individuals include two Bangladeshi and six Sri Lankan nationals, two airport staff associated with a meet-and-greet service, two handlers, and the main organiser. The case has raised serious concerns about insider involvement in smuggling networks operating within sensitive airport zones.
Further investigation into the wider syndicate is currently underway.
