Mumbai Crime: DRI Busts Gold Smuggling Syndicate; 318 Kg Worth ₹475 Crore Moved Through Courier Network, 11 Arrested

Mumbai, September 26, 2026: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai, has busted an organised gold smuggling syndicate that allegedly transported and delivered around 318 kg of foreign-origin gold, valued at approximately Rs 475 crore, through a pan-India courier network over the past nine months. The agency has arrested 11 persons, including one of the alleged masterminds, following a multi-city operation across five cities.

Operation Targets Courier Network

Code-named “Operation Border Bullion Bust”, the operation was launched by the DRI's Mumbai Zonal Unit on September 23, acting on specific intelligence that foreign-origin gold was being smuggled through the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal and Assam and subsequently transported to different parts of the country for distribution through a courier network.

Simultaneous searches and interceptions were carried out in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Guwahati. During the operation, DRI officials intercepted live courier consignments containing smuggled gold, booked from Guwahati and Kolkata for delivery to recipients in Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad. Seven recipients of these consignments were apprehended.

Simultaneous searches were also conducted at the premises of the consignors and shippers, resulting in the apprehension of three persons in Kolkata.

Alleged Mastermind Arrested

In a subsequent operation, the agency apprehended one of the alleged masterminds in Mumbai, who was suspected of coordinating the smuggling syndicate's operations, including the dispatch and delivery of the consignments.

The investigation revealed that the syndicate was allegedly transporting foreign-origin smuggled gold in multiple small courier consignments from Guwahati and Kolkata to recipients in Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad for disposal in the domestic market without the requisite documentation.

Gold Worth Rs 10.36 Crore Seized

During the operation, the agency recovered 6.61 kg of foreign-origin gold bars, valued at approximately Rs 10.36 crore, from the intercepted consignments. The gold was seized under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. A total of 11 persons associated with the syndicate, including one of its alleged masterminds, were arrested.

Preliminary scrutiny of documentary evidence collected during the investigation has revealed that the syndicate had allegedly transported and delivered approximately 318 kg of smuggled gold, valued at around Rs 475 crore, through the courier network during the first nine months of 2026, the agency said.

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The investigation is underway to establish the wider network involved in the alleged smuggling and distribution of foreign-origin gold, including the roles of those coordinating its movement from the land borders to various destinations across the country.

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