- DRI seized 15 kg of smuggled foreign-origin gold worth about ₹21.4 crore.
- Gold was concealed inside gear parts in a courier shipment from Thailand.
- Four persons, including the alleged mastermind and a foreign national, were arrested.
- Probe indicates cryptocurrency was used to finance the smuggling network.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, June 30: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has dismantled a cross-border gold smuggling syndicate operating through Delhi, seizing 15 kg of foreign-origin smuggled gold worth approximately ₹21.40 crore and arresting four persons, including the alleged mastermind and a foreign national.
According to the DRI, officers intercepted an international courier consignment arriving from Thailand at the Courier Terminal in Delhi. The shipment, declared as “worn gear”, was addressed to a firm linked to a foreign national.
A detailed examination revealed eight disc-shaped gold pieces, each weighing 1.5 kg, ingeniously concealed inside gear components. The concealed consignment yielded 12 kg of foreign-origin smuggled gold.
Simultaneous searches at the residence of the intended recipient and the alleged mastermind led to the recovery of two additional 1.5 kg gold discs, taking the total seizure to 15 kg.
The DRI arrested four accused, including the alleged mastermind, who is stated to be a repeat offender, and a foreign national believed to be linked to the smuggling network.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the syndicate allegedly used cryptocurrency to transfer funds across international borders for financing the smuggling operations.
