Overview
- The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence carried out an intelligence-led operation in a late-night airport sweep that intercepted suspects and led to arrests.
- Officers seized about 5.1 kg (5,251 g) of gold, estimated at roughly ₹7.49–7.50 crore, concealed in pouches and wax form.
- Six people were arrested, including three Mumbai-based airport staffers and three Filipino transit passengers who were transiting through Mumbai from Dubai and Bangkok.
- Defence counsel says the three foreign nationals were bona fide transit passengers who never crossed immigration and will challenge the legal basis for smuggling charges.
- Reporting indicates the probe may be expanding beyond the DRI, with limited accounts that the CBI is now involved, and the case raises broader concerns about insider collusion at airports and tighter agency scrutiny.