In a startling case of insider smuggling, two cleaning staff members at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport were arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for allegedly attempting to sneak foreign-origin gold worth ₹1.6 crore into the city.
Officials said the arrests were made on Saturday following a tip-off about a possible gold smuggling racket operating through airport insiders. Investigations suggest that a larger syndicate may be using international passengers to hide gold inside aircraft, which is later retrieved by trusted staff at the airport with access to restricted zones.
The DRI mounted discreet surveillance around the terminal and aerobridge areas. During the operation, one cleaning team leader was spotted hastily dropping a packet on the aerobridge staircase after spotting officers nearby. The packet was quickly recovered and found to contain gold dust in wax form, wrapped carefully in a white cloth.
The man was immediately detained and questioned. During interrogation, he reportedly admitted that he had placed the packet to avoid being caught. He also revealed that his supervisor had retrieved the gold from an arriving aircraft and handed it to him for safekeeping. Acting on this information, officials arrested the supervisor soon after.
In total, 1.2 kg of 24-karat gold dust, valued at around ₹1.6 crore, was seized under provisions of the Customs Act. Officials said further investigations are under way to trace others involved in the network and to determine how long the operation had been running.
With PTI Inputs
