Rs 19-Crore Smuggled Gold Recovered, 11 Arrested: DRI Busts Gang in Nagpur-Varanasi-Mumbai Crackdown

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted a syndicate involved in the smuggling of foreign-origin gold through land route and train route.

In a meticulously planned and well-coordinated operation involving DRI teams across three locations, smuggled gold weighing around 31.7 kg valued at around Rs. 19 crore was seized on October 13-14 at Varanasi, Nagpur and Mumbai.

The Nagpur Team apprehended two carriers of gold when they alighted at Nagpur railway station from a train that started from Kolkata. A total of 8.5 kg foreign marked gold was recovered from them. From their interrogation, two receivers of the smuggled gold were also identified and apprehended.

With the help of local police, the Varanasi Team apprehended two of the accused and the car when they were travelling in UP, after a three-hour dramatic chase on the road and a search operation inside the forest. About 18.2 kg of gold was recovered from the two persons and from a cavity made below the hand brake of the car.

The Mumbai Team managed to trace five accused, who travelled from Varanasi by train, on road. A total of 4.9 kg gold was recovered from them.

This syndicate used to smuggle gold brought into India via the borders of Bangladesh and further diverted the same to Mumbai, Nagpur, Varanasi, etc. With due diligence and coordinated plan of action, a total of 11 persons have been arrested, of which five were arrested in Mumbai, two in Varanasi and four in Nagpur. These 11 accused cover offenders at all rungs of the gold smuggling syndicate viz. carriers/passengers, handlers, and final recipients of the smuggled gold.