The tax authorities seized 16.36 kg of gold at Mumbai airport on Tuesday.
Bombay:
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) apprehended a gold smuggler and detained 18 Sudanese women and an Indian woman with 16.36 kg of the yellow metal in paste form worth Rs 10.16 crore at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport here, an official said Tuesday.
A follow-up search in related properties recovered 1.42 kg of gold worth about Rs 85 lakh along with foreign currency worth Rs 16 lakh and Indian notes worth Rs 88 lakh, he said.
Based on specific intelligence that gold in paste form will be smuggled into India by a syndicate of passengers traveling from the UAE to Mumbai on Monday, DRI officials have been monitoring the city’s airport, the official said.
Passengers suspected of being part of the syndicate, traveling on three flights, were identified and intercepted by a team from the DRI at the airport, he said.
During their search, the DRI found 16.36 kg of gold in paste form, gold carved pieces and jewels collectively valued at Rs 10.16 crore, the official said.
Eighteen Sudanese women who carried the smuggled gold and an Indian woman who coordinated the passengers’ movements were arrested, he said.
Most of the gold recovered was found hidden on the bodies of the suspected passengers, making it extremely difficult to track down the precious metal, the official said, adding that an investigation was still underway.
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