DRI’s busts major gold smuggling syndicate; seizes over 61 kg gold worth Rs. 40 crore in a Pan-India Operation ‘Rising Sun’

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted a big syndicate involved in smuggling of foreign-origin gold worth around Rs. 40 crorein its operation code named ‘Rising Sun’ on 12^thand 13^thMarch, 2024.

The operation, meticulously planned and coordinated across four states, resulted in seizure of a huge quantity of smuggled gold, weighing around 61.08 kg valued at around Rs. 40 crore, alongwith 19 vehicles, cash and other electronic items in Guwahati, Barpeta, Darbhanga, Gorakhpur and Araria.

Acting on specific intelligence, the DRI officers in Guwahati apprehended six members of the syndicate, including two masterminds, from a residential premises at Guwahati and recovered 22.74 kg of gold, cash amounting to Rs. 13 lakh, vehicles, and other electronic items. A vehicle, which had already left Guwahati, was tracked down and intercepted at Barpeta, Assam, approximately 90 km from Guwahati and 13.28 kg of smuggled gold was recovered from the intercepted vehicle and another two persons were apprehended.

Following the leads unearthed during investigations, DRI officers from Muzaffarpur intercepted a vehicle near Darbhanga and recovered 13.27 kg of gold.  Another vehicle was intercepted by DRI officers at Gorakhpur and 11.79 kg of foreign origin gold recovered. Another nine cars having secret cavities used by the syndicate were also identified and intercepted at Araria, Bihar, by DRI officers from Patna.

Initial questioning of the apprehended persons revealed that the syndicate used to smuggle gold into India through the Indo-Myanmar land border in small quantities, aggregate the same at Guwahati and further transport to Delhi, Jaipur, etc. DRI has apprehended 12 persons – eight people in Guwahati, two in Muzaffarpur and two in Gorakhpur in this operation.