Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) 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, more number of flights, and transit routes. In 2024-25, the DRI seized 1073kg of gold having a market value of approximately Rs785 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.
According to DRI, gold smuggling syndicates operate through a structured network: Masterminds 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. 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.
“Air routes, especially flights from the Middle East and Southeast Asia, are the primary channel for gold smuggling into India. Smugglers exploit diverse passenger profiles, including women, families and airline crew, to smuggle gold. Smugglers are also concealing gold inside aircraft cavities for later retrieval by crew or passengers. Sometimes, gold concealed in the aircraft during the international leg is retrieved by passengers during the domestic leg. Further, transit passengers smuggle gold via body concealment and hand it over to airport staff,” the report stated.
“A more sophisticated and dangerous method involves concealing gold inside human body. Syndicates mould gold in wax form into small capsules, which are then inserted into body to evade detection,” stated the report.
“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. Carriers from Kenya and Iran contributed modestly, with isolated cases involving carriers from Thailand, Turkey, Afghanistan, Oman, the UAE, and the USA,” the report stated.
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