Mumbai Airport: DRI Busts US National Smuggling Gold Worth ₹4.86 Crore, Links Case To International Syndicate

Mumbai: A US national recently charged with smuggling gold worth Rs 4.86 crore is a member of an international syndicate and the case has significant international ramifications and involves foreign nationals engaged in serious economic offences, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has said.

The DRI intercepted A Kotecha and her 13-year-old daughter at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on February 21, officials said on Tuesday. The mother and daughter had arrived from Chicago, via Dubai. A personal search of the teenager led to the recovery of a customised waistcoat containing 5,466 grams of gold valued at Rs 4.86 crore, they said.

The teenage passenger told officials that the jacket containing the gold bars was given to her by her mother. She said she was not aware that bringing gold into India without declaring it before the customs authorities was an offence. The officials further claimed that the passengers were not able to produce documents pertaining to the gold.

“The accused is an important member of an international syndicate and the case has significant international ramifications and involves foreign nationals engaged in serious economic offences,” an official said.

Further, sources for the purchase of the gold, distribution of the smuggled gold, transfer of money through illegal hawala channels, etc, is yet to be investigated, he said.

“The ongoing investigation is crucial to dismantling this international smuggling network. The syndicate operates across multiple countries, and the involvement of foreign nationals in this case underscores the global reach of these criminals,” the official added.