New Delhi, 19 October 2026: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted an organized gold smuggling syndicate bringing foreign origin gold into India through Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad and Surat International Airport. Three persons have been arrested under the Customs Act, 1962.
Acting on specific inputs, DRI officials tracked the suspects and conducted coordinated raids for 42 hours starting from 16 October 2026. The operation exposed the entire chain of the racket: smuggling by air passengers, handing over to handlers, illegal smuggling, and sale through jewelery outlets. This includes approximately Rs. Deals of 13.017 kg of foreign origin gold worth Rs 19.41 crore were exposed and three persons have been arrested.
Preliminary investigation has revealed that gold was smuggled into the country by travelers using unique methods of hiding it. Which includes thin rhodium coated gold wire, gold embedded in the inner lining of the trolley bag and gold paste hidden inside the bag. After arrival, the gold is alleged to have been handed over to handlers outside the airport and transported through intermediaries to an illegal gold smelting facility in Vadodara. Thereafter the gold recovered was supplied to a jewelery shop in Ahmedabad for sale against cash.
As a result of this coordinated operation, approximately 890 grams of gold was seized and incriminating evidence related to 6.41 kg of illegally smelted gold was recovered. During further investigation at the jewelery shop, records related to the deal of unaccounted foreign origin gold biscuits (bars) and about 5.8 kg of smuggled gold sent by a separate handler linked to the main financier of the Dubai-based syndicate were recovered.
The operation exposed the interconnected roles of travellers, handlers, middlemen, operators of gold mining facilities and jewelery trade channels in facilitating the manipulation and extraction of smuggled gold. During the investigation, the handler/financier, operator of the melting facility and other key persons were identified. Three persons have been arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
This operation underlines DRI's concentrated efforts to dismantle organized gold smuggling networks by targeting every link from concealment methods and airport operations to extraction, financing and sales in the local market.