DRI Busts Gold Smuggling Syndicate, Seizes 61 kg Gold Worth Rs. 40 Cr

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 14th March. In a breakthrough, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has dismantled a significant gold smuggling syndicate, seizing over 61 kg of foreign-origin gold valued at around Rs. 40 crore.

The operation, codenamed ‘Rising Sun,’ unfolded on March 12th and 13th, 2024, across four states, resulting in the apprehension of 12 individuals and the confiscation of a substantial quantity of smuggled gold, vehicles, cash, and electronic items.

The meticulously planned operation commenced in Guwahati, where DRI officers nabbed six syndicate members, including two masterminds, from a residential premises. In this initial bust, authorities seized 22.74 kg of gold, Rs. 13 lakh in cash, vehicles, and electronic gadgets.

Additionally, a vehicle en route from Guwahati was intercepted in Barpeta, Assam, yielding another 13.28 kg of smuggled gold and leading to the arrest of two more individuals.

Following the trail of leads, DRI officers in Muzaffarpur intercepted a vehicle near Darbhanga, recovering 13.27 kg of gold. Another interception occurred in Gorakhpur, where 11.79 kg of foreign-origin gold was seized. Furthermore, DRI officers in Patna intercepted nine cars equipped with secret compartments used by the syndicate in Araria, Bihar.

Preliminary investigations unveiled that the syndicate operated by smuggling gold through the Indo-Myanmar land border in small quantities, aggregating the stash in Guwahati, and subsequently transporting it to Delhi, Jaipur, and other destinations.