A major gold smuggling attempt was foiled at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, where the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) detained a passenger after seizing gold worth approximately ₹6.3 crore concealed in his shoes, an official said on Saturday. According to the official, DRI also detained a potential buyer who was a member of the Mumbai-based gold smuggling gang as a follow-up measure. Based on specific information, officials from the top anti-smuggling unit detained a traveler after he landed at the city airport from Bangkok.
According to a release issued by the department, DRI Mumbai personnel stopped a passenger on flight TG 317 from Bangkok to Mumbai based on particular intelligence. According to the announcement, a physical investigation of the traveler turned up 14 foreign-origin gold bars of various weights, totalling 6735.42 grammes and worth Rs. 6.30 crores, cleverly hidden in a shoe the traveler was wearing. In his voluntary statement, the passenger disclosed the identity of the smuggled gold's buyer, who was then caught, according to the release.
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The buyer also acknowledged his involvement in the smuggling of gold in his voluntary statement. According to the release, 6735.42 grammes of smuggled gold, worth Rs. 6.30 crores, were found and confiscated, and the buyer and passenger were taken into custody in accordance with the Customs Act of 1962. A search led to the recovery of illegal gold bars worth Rs 6.3 crore, disguised in the shoes he was wearing.