Mumbai Emerges As Main Hotspot For Gold Smuggling Through Airports: DRI Report

Mumbai, Dec 17: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, in its report, stated that gold smuggling in the year 2024–25 remained concentrated in hotspots like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and West Bengal, serving as entry points or redistribution hubs due to their strategic location, higher number of flights and transit routes.

In 2024–25, the DRI seized 1,073 kg of gold having a market value of approximately Rs 785 crore, the report stated. Mumbai emerged as the main hotspot for gold smuggling through airports, far surpassing all other locations in both the quantity of gold seized and the number of cases detected, the agency stated in its report.

How Gold Smuggling Syndicates Operate

According to the DRI, gold smuggling syndicates operate through a structured network: masterminds located abroad or in India fund operations, organisers recruit carriers, carriers transport concealed gold into India, and handlers receive gold for delivery to key members of the network in India for further sale.

Sometimes, gold smuggled in forms other than foreign-origin bars, such as wax or jewellery, is melted into 24-carat bar form at illicit facilities, sold domestically, converted into jewellery and integrated into domestic markets. Proceeds are usually repatriated abroad via hawala or illegal forex channels, sustaining a multi-layered, highly networked smuggling operation.

Air Routes And Aircraft Concealment Methods

“Air routes, especially flights from the Middle East and Southeast Asia that connect to metro and Tier-II airports, are the primary channel for gold smuggling into India. Smugglers exploit diverse passenger profiles, including women, families and airline crew, to smuggle gold into India. Increasingly, smugglers are also concealing gold inside aircraft cavities for later retrieval by crew, passengers or airport staff. Sometimes, gold concealed in the aircraft during the international leg is retrieved by passengers during the domestic leg of the aircraft. Further, transit passengers smuggle gold via body concealment and hand it over to airport staff,” the report stated.

High-Risk Body Concealment Techniques

“A more sophisticated and dangerous method involves concealing gold inside the human body. Syndicates mould gold in wax form into small capsules, which are then inserted into body cavities to evade detection by scanners and manual checks. This trend reflects a growing shift towards high-risk concealment techniques that endanger the carrier’s health,” stated the report.

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Profile Of Gold Smuggling Carriers

“The gender profile of gold smuggling carriers for 2024–25 revealed that the majority of individuals apprehended were male. However, the presence of women, making up one-tenth of the persons apprehended, highlights a growing trend of female involvement, possibly due to perceptions of lower suspicion during checks. The domicile profile of gold smuggling carriers in 2024–25 indicates that the overwhelming majority were Indian nationals, which highlights the dominance of domestic carriers in gold smuggling. Carriers from Kenya and Iran contributed modestly, with isolated cases involving carriers from Thailand, Turkey, Afghanistan, Oman, the UAE and the USA,” the report further stated.

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