Overview
- The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) carried out coordinated multi-city searches and interceptions in late September that targeted a syndicate using parcel services to move gold across the country.
- Officers seized 6.61 kg of gold bars from intercepted courier consignments and recovered 9.4 kg at Mumbai airport after passengers arriving from Dubai were found to be carrying powdered gold mixed into food products.
- Eleven people linked to the courier operation were arrested, including one person described by investigators as an alleged mastermind, and three separate passengers were detained at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
- DRI’s preliminary review of documentary evidence suggests roughly 318 kg of foreign-origin gold, valued at about Rs 475 crore, moved through the courier network during 2026, a figure investigators say is still being verified.
- The case highlights a recurring smuggling pattern: exploitation of the Indo-Bangladesh land border, fragmentation of consignments through courier services, and inventive concealment methods, which could lead to wider enforcement and legal action against couriers, handlers, and recipients.