Mumbai, October 21, 2026: In a major crackdown on commercial fraud, the Special Investigation and Intelligence Branch (SIIB) of Mumbai Customs has foiled a smuggling attempt. Officers seized undeclared diamonds, gems and jewellery valued at Rs 10 crore, which were hidden beneath a false layer in an export consignment.
Hidden Compartment Reveals Undeclared Gems
The operation unfolded at the Export Examination Hall of the Precious Cargo Customs Clearance Centre (PCCCC) at BKC. Acting on intelligence, customs officials intercepted a shipment bound for an international destination.
The export company had filed a shipping bill declaring a cargo of 61.98 carats of lab-grown cut and polished diamonds, valued at USD 5,454 (approximately Rs 5.10 lakh). The consignment was packed inside a single tin box weighing 6.8 kilograms.
While the top layer of the consignment perfectly matched the declared invoice, the authorities opted for a thorough physical examination. Upon force-breaking a hidden false-layer separator inside the tin box, officers discovered a deep cavity. Inside this secret chamber lay undeclared packages containing high-grade natural diamonds, precious gemstones and finished jewellery.
A three-member expert valuation panel was immediately summoned to evaluate the cargo. While the panel certified that the declared lab-grown diamonds were fairly priced at Rs 5.10 lakh, it determined the fair market value of the concealed items to be Rs 10 crore. This brought the total valuation of the attempted illicit export to Rs 10.05 crore. The entire consignment has been seized under the Customs Act.
Export Firm Representative Arrested
Following the seizure, customs officials recorded a voluntary statement from an authorised representative of the export firm, who is a resident of Surat. The representative explicitly admitted to having complete knowledge of the concealment.
He further revealed that the proprietor of the export firm was fully aware of the smuggling plot and had instructed him to somehow clear the high-value consignment past customs barriers.
Customs officials have categorised the incident as a grave economic offence involving sophisticated commercial fraud and international smuggling.
Investigators are also probing a possible money laundering and hawala angle, suspecting that the illicit diamond pipeline was being used to move funds out of the country illegally.
Probe Underway To Trace Wider Network
“Investigations are at a very preliminary stage, and we are working to apprehend the other associates and the proprietor,” a senior Customs official stated.
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“Huge monetary transactions are involved, and it is vital to trace the ultimate beneficiaries, the domestic source of these diamonds, and the international laundering network to bust this entire nexus,” the official added.
Public Prosecutor Advocate Naziya Shaikh argued for Customs in court, following which the arrested person was remanded to judicial custody.
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