MUMBAI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 36 kg of smuggled gold worth Rs 21 crore along with unaccounted cash of Rs 20 lakh from an air cargo complex in suburban Andheri and arrested one person from the premises. An official gave this information on Tuesday. Based on specific information, DRI officials conducted searches at the Air Cargo Complex Mumbai Customs on Monday and recovered the smuggled gold at various stages of investigation, the official said.
It is the largest air cargo complex in India in terms of volume of cargo carried, value of cargo, documents filed and revenue collected. He said that during the investigation of gold smuggling cases, DRI came to know about a racket involved in bringing and distributing the smuggled gold. These valuables were paid for through hawala channel. The official said that the DRI has
confiscated
some exotic to bust
Monitored the travel activity of citizens and suspected Indians. The official said that the officials have seized 36 cases at various stages of the investigation.
Seized kg gold, the value of which was estimated at Rs 21 crore. Unaccounted cash of Rs 20 lakh was recovered from the in-charge of the premises and he was arrested. He said that the accused told that he had bought gold from different persons, some of whom were foreign nationals. The accused said that gold is smuggled in the form of capsules, in travel bags, in the folds of clothes and hidden in machines as well as in the body. He said that further investigation has revealed that the gold was distributed to various indigenous smugglers who are suspected to be part of the smugglers’ racket. The officer said that the accused has been charged with Customs duty.