11 September,2026 11:44 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Representational image. File pic
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 3.5 kg of gold dust worth around Rs 5.5 crore at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai and arrested four people, including two airport staffers and two transit passengers, officials said on Friday.
The seizure was made as part of the agency's ongoing crackdown on the smuggling of precious metals through the country's major transport hubs.
According to an official statement, the DRI recovered gold dust weighing 3.5 kg during an operation at the Mumbai airport. Four people were arrested in connection with the seizure.
Those arrested include two employees working at the airport and two transit passengers. Officials suspect that the accused were allegedly linked to an international syndicate involved in smuggling gold through the airport.
The agency is investigating the network and the role allegedly played by those arrested in facilitating the movement of the smuggled precious metal.
The latest Mumbai seizure comes after a similar operation carried out by the DRI in Maharashtra last month.
Acting on intelligence that gold smuggled into India through the India-Bangladesh border was being transported further by train, a DRI team in Nagpur intercepted a passenger at Nagpur Railway Station.
The passenger was allegedly travelling on the 12102 Dnyaneshwari Express. Following a search, officials recovered 16 gold bars weighing 2.165 kg. The seized gold was estimated to be worth Rs 3.09 crore.
DRI officials had received information that the consignment had entered India through the India-Bangladesh border and was being moved towards another destination.
The agency has also recently carried out six major operations at different locations across the country targeting wildlife smuggling.
The operations resulted in the seizure of two leopard pelts, 180 live Indian Star Tortoises, 12 live Tokay Geckos, around 24 kg of pangolin scales and 500 grams of tiger bones.
At least 13 people were arrested in connection with the six operations.
In one of these cases, DRI officials intercepted a person in Jeypore in Odisha's Koraput district and recovered a leopard pelt from his possession.
The apprehended person and the seized leopard pelt were subsequently handed over to the State Forest Department in Koraput for further investigation and legal action under the relevant law.
The DRI's recent operations highlight its continued focus on tackling organised smuggling networks involving precious metals and protected wildlife across different parts of the country.Important copy check: Your supplied headline says Rs 3 crore, but the body says the Mumbai seizure was 3.5 kg of gold dust worth Rs 5.5 crore. I have used Rs 5.5 crore because that is the figure stated in the detailed copy.
(With inputs from IANS)
