Rs 9.69 Crore Gold Seized in Mumbai: DRI Unravels Smuggling Syndicate, Two Arrested at Air Cargo

Mumbai (The Uttam Hindu): The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has successfully dismantled a gold smuggling syndicate operating through consignments imported at Mumbai’s Air Cargo Complex. According to sources, the syndicate is suspected of smuggling over 200 kilograms of gold in the past. On Wednesday, DRI officers intercepted an import consignment of a private company that had arrived from Bangkok. The goods, initially declared as 4 DJ lights, were found to have concealed gold in cavities at the bottom of each light. After further examination, DRI recovered a total of 11,988.94 grams of gold, valued at approximately ₹9.69 crore.

Two individuals were arrested in connection with the case on Friday. They have been identified as B.R. Shetty (50) from Nalasopara and K.P. Rai (53) from Andheri. A search of Shetty's godown in Santa Cruz led to further revelations, where Shetty admitted that the DJ lights were being used to smuggle gold into India. The gold was concealed in the lights, cleared through customs at the Air Cargo Complex, and then transported and stored at the godown before being extracted by unknown individuals.

Rai, upon questioning, admitted to his knowledge of Shetty’s illicit activities. He reportedly filed customs duty payments for the consignments booked by Shetty and handled remittances. Rai also confirmed that he had facilitated the smuggling by creating fake documents for the import of the DJ lights from Thailand and processing the payments through Shetty's bank account. The investigation is ongoing, with authorities gathering more evidence. The DRI is also focused on identifying other members of the syndicate, as well as tracking the sources of the gold, its distribution, and the illegal hawala channels used to transfer money. Efforts are being made to apprehend additional suspects and further investigate the smuggling operation.