The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has successfully seized 6.28 kg of foreign-origin gold worth ₹9.18 crore at the Air Cargo Complex in Thiruvananthapuram. According to a government statement, DRI officers intercepted a baggage consignment and recovered the gold, which was concealed inside various hardware items. The operation was conducted acting on specific intelligence, demonstrating the agency's proactive approach to combating cross-border smuggling operations.
The gold was hidden inside several hardware items, including floor springs, metal locks, grease guns and door closers, as reported by the official communique. The syndicate's modus operandi involved packing these items along with other goods in a trolley secured with a number lock, with the combination predetermined in advance by its members. The trolley was then sent as unaccompanied baggage from Dubai to Trivandrum, with warehouse staff unlocking it upon arrival to retrieve the concealed gold.
Three people were arrested under the Customs Act, 1962, for their alleged roles in the smuggling network. According to the DRI, the arrested individuals included a warehouse employee tasked with retrieving the hardware items concealing the gold, a Customs Broker acting as a middleman, and a receiver who had travelled to Thiruvananthapuram to collect the consignment. The warehouse staff member would unlock the trolley using the predetermined combination, retrieve the hardware items containing the concealed gold, and hand them over to the mediator.
As reported by the DRI, the seizure highlights a developing trend in which cross-border smuggling organisations increasingly take advantage of internal logistics staff and air freight lines to avoid carrying contraband on their person. The agency indicated that further research is still being conducted to find foreign suppliers and break up backwards and forward financial ties associated with such operations. This operation demonstrates DRI's continued focus on disrupting sophisticated smuggling networks operating through legitimate logistics channels.
