Mumbai: DRI foils major gold smuggling racket, arrests 8, including 5 African women

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The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has successfully dismantled a significant gold smuggling operation, resulting in the arrest of eight individuals, including five African women, as well as the seizure of substantial assets, including cash and smuggled gold, valued at Rs 3.62 crore. This operation represents a major blow to an intricate smuggling syndicate, stated a PTI report.

A statement released by the DRI revealed that the arrests were made following a raid on a gold melting facility and a jewellery shop. Among the assets seized during the operation were Rs 2.95 crore in cash and 2.1 kilograms of smuggled gold.

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Notably, the individuals apprehended included four Kenyans and one Tanzanian, who were deployed as carriers for the smuggled gold. The operation was initiated based on specific intelligence that pointed to the illegal activities taking place at these locations, the report further stated.

The clandestine search at the premises used for melting the smuggled gold was followed by a subsequent search at the jewellery shop, which was identified as the purchaser of the illicit gold. During these searches, authorities recovered the smuggled gold, equivalent to USD 1 lakh (approximately Rs 84.15 lakh in Indian currency), along with Rs 2.32 crore in cash - representing the sale proceeds from the smuggled gold.

According to the PTI report, the operator of the melting facility, who is the owner of the business, was identified as a repeat offender and had previous cases pending against them. The DRI's vigilant efforts further led to searches in two hotels where the accused individuals from Africa conducted their operations. These searches resulted in the discovery of foreign currency amounting to USD 3,31,600, which equates to Rs 2,78,70,980, as well as Rs 63,07,500 in cash. These funds were also determined to be sale proceeds derived from the smuggling operation.

The investigation exposed a coordinated effort between the five African women and the operator of the melting facility. The modus operandi involved diverting smuggled gold and receiving compensation in both foreign and Indian currency, stated the PTI report.

The gold was initially collected by aggregators from a network of carriers, primarily Kenyan and Tanzanian nationals, before being passed on for melting. The resulting gold was then sold to jewellers in exchange for cash. The funds obtained from this process were subsequently distributed among the various carriers. The successful operation by the DRI thus marks a significant breakthrough in dismantling smuggling syndicates that employ African nationals as carriers.

It is worth noting that in April of this year, the DRI had previously exposed a similar syndicate employing Sudanese nationals as carriers in another successful operation aimed at curbing gold smuggling activities.