Operation Golden Dawn: DRI seizes 101.7 kg of smuggled gold in Pan India operation

New Delhi [India], February 21 (ANI): The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence busted a gold smuggling syndicate of Sudanese nationals operating through the Nepal border in a pan-India operation on Tuesday. The DRI, in different interceptions in Patna, Pune and Mumbai seized a total of 101.7 kg of smuggled gold valued at approx Rs 51 Crores.
According to the press note released by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, the seized gold was mostly in paste form and it was being brought to Patna through the India-Nepal border and then transported via train or by air to different parts of the country, largely to Mumbai.

The DRI officials intercepted three Sudanese nationals on the late night of 19 February 2023 boarding a train at the Patna Railway Station destined for Mumbai. The Gold paste containing gold weighing 37.126 kg in 40 packets was recovered from 2 Sudanese who had ingeniously concealed it in the specially made cavities of the sleeveless jackets worn by them. The third person was the handler coordinating the smuggling activity at the border area and arranging the transport of smuggled gold.

The second set of two Sudanese lady nationals was intercepted on 20 February 2023 in Pune while travelling from Hyderabad to Mumbai via Bus and 5.615 kg of smuggled gold in assorted forms was recovered from them concealed in their handbags.

The third set of two Sudanese nationals travelling to Mumbai from Patna was intercepted at Mumbai Railway Station on 20 February 2023. The Gold paste containing gold weighing 38.76 kg in 40 packets was recovered from 2 Sudanese who had concealed it in a similar fashion.

Acting swiftly on the leads provided by the smugglers, the DRI officers recovered about 20.2 kg of smuggled gold in assorted forms along with Rs 74 lacks worth of foreign currency and Rs 63 lakh of Indian currency from different premises in Mumbai being used for extraction of smuggled gold. Three persons were apprehended in this follow-up action.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has earlier unearthed various novel modus operandi of smuggling foreign origin gold into India such as smuggling from the northeastern part of the country either through a courier route of a logistics company or using concealment methods in vehicles or in person by bus, train, flight etc. or recovery of gold from the sea bed in Tamil Nadu Coast after it was thrown by smugglers from the fishing boat etc apart from the traditional modes used by the smugglers.

In the present operation, code-named Golden Dawn, DRI seized a total of approximately 101.7 kg of gold valued at Rs 51 crores along with Rs 74 lacks worth of foreign currency and Rs 63 lakh of Indian currency and arrested 7 Sudanese and 3 Indian nationals so far. Further investigation is in progress. (ANI)