25 kg in four days: DRI strikes gold at airports

Apart from gold, the agency has also seized a large number of iPhones, smartwatches, USB chips, storage devices, camera lens and cigarettes worth Rs 1.1 crore.

In an operation conducted on Thursday, 17.9 kg of gold worth Rs 6.24 crore was seized and six people were arrested, DRI officials said on Friday. Acting on a tipoff that gold was being smuggled from abroad, a search was conducted at the airport, which led to the seizure.

During the operation, they also managed to seize Indian and foreign currencies valued at Rs 33 lakh from passengers, who confessed that the proceeds would be remitted to them through hawala channels, the release added.

Investigations revealed that the gang was working in coordination with the mastermind based in Malaysia, who identified passengers returning to the country from Dubai, Malaysia and Singapore, and ask them to carry the appliances and gadgets for monetary gain, it said.

The officials said three cars that the syndicate used to ferry the smuggled goods from the airport were also seized. The six arrested included the mastermind, and his aide, close relative and two others.

In a separate case, 5.72 kg of gold valued at Rs 1.97 crore, which was concealed in one of the seats of an aircraft that arrived here from an overseas destination, were confiscated on Monday. In yet another case on Monday, the officials had seized 1.13 kg gold worth Rs 37.41 lakh that was smuggled in from Malaysia at Tiruchy airport. The mastermind in that case was arrested.