UditVani, Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has successfully foiled attempts of organised gold smuggling though air route by effecting two seizures in Lucknow and Mumbai last week. Both the seizures had a common method of concealment of gold.
After having developed precise intelligence, on the 6th of May officers of DRI inspected a consignment which had arrived from Dubai at Air Cargo Complex, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai.
In the import documents, the item was declared as “sectional & drum type drain cleaning machines”, but on examination, 5.8 kg gold valued at Rs. 3.10 crore in disc form was found concealed inside two motor rotors of the machine imported in the consignment. The importer located in south Mumbai was arrested and has been sent to judicial custody by the Court.
This seizure in Mumbai is on the heels of another seizure made by DRI in Lucknow on 5th May where it intercepted an import cargo said to contain “electrical threading machine” at Air Cargo Complex of Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow. 5.2 kg gold, valued at Rs. 2.78 crore, was seized in that case. Gold discs were found concealed in the machines in very similar manner.
833 kg smuggled gold, valued at Rs. 405 crore seized in 2021-22:
Over the last year, DRI has affected significant seizures of gold from cargo and courier consignments. In July 2021, DRI had seized 16.79 kg gold, valued at Rs. 8 crore, from a courier consignment, followed by seizure of 80.13 kg smuggled gold, valued at Rs. 39.31 crore, in November 2021 from a cargo consignment – both at New Delhi.
In yet another case DRI had recovered 5.25 kg of concealed gold, valued at Rs. 2.67 crore in August 2021. Smuggled gold had arrived at in a consignment at International Courier Terminal, Mumbai.
These series of detections have helped unearth novel modus operandi of smuggling foreign origin gold into India through the air cargo and courier route. During 2021-22, DRI officers had affected seizures of 833 kg smuggled gold, valued at Rs. 405 crore.
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