MUMBAI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 101kg gold worth Rs 51 crore, foreign currency of Rs 74 lakh value and Rs 63 lakh in Indian currency in Operation ‘Golden Dawn’ spanning Mumbai, Pune and Patna and arrested 10 persons, including seven Sudanese nationals.
The gold, mostly in paste form, was smuggled through the Indo-Nepal border to Patna in Bihar and was to be reached by train or air to mainly Mumbai and other parts of the country. Gold smuggling has seen a surge due to the traditional high demand in the country coupled with rising prices and steep import duty on the yellow metal.
On Sunday, three Sudanese were intercepted while boarding a train to Mumbai from Patna station. Gold paste with gold of over 37kg in 40 packets were recovered from specially made cavities in the sleeveless jackets worn by them. DRI believes one of them is the handler coordinating the smuggling activity at the border and arranging for supply. This consignment was to be delivered to a person in Colaba.
On Monday, two Sudanese women were intercepted in Pune as they were travelling from Hyderabad to Mumbai in a bus and over five and a half kg of gold in assorted forms were recovered from their hand bags. On the same day, two more Sudanese nationals travelling to Mumbai from Patna were stopped at a railway station in Mumbai and gold paste with 39kg gold in 40 packets were recovered.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/dri-seizes-101kg-gold-smuggled-from-nepal-to-mumbai/articleshow/98134435.cms