DRI Makes Airport Gold Seizure
Officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested two individuals at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, on May 19 following the recovery of 4.2 kilograms of gold concealed in purpose-made smuggling carriers.
Method of Concealment
The two individuals, who had arrived on separate flights from Dubai, had adopted different concealment methods. The first used a modified abdominal belt with compartments lined with lead foil designed to reduce the X-ray visibility of the gold bars. The second had concealed small gold sheets within the body of a disassembled electronic appliance — a method that the DRI noted had become more common following airport scanner upgrades, and which had been detected through a targeted secondary scan based on profiling information.
The Seizure
The recovered gold — totalling 4.2 kilograms — consisted of 14 gold bars and a quantity of gold in sheet form. At prevailing market rates, the value of the recovered gold is approximately ₹3.1 crore. The DRI noted that the gold bore no hallmarks of Indian origin, suggesting it was sourced from UAE market gold that does not meet Indian hallmarking standards.
Investigation Background
The DRI’s Ahmedabad unit confirmed that both individuals had prior intelligence markers linking them to a known gold smuggling network that had been under surveillance for several months. The investigation is expected to trace the consignments to their financiers and the intended recipients in the domestic gold market. Cases have been registered under the Customs Act, 1962.