Five persons were arrested at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport in an operation that led to the recovery of gold biscuits worth nearly Rs 5 crore. According to sources, the accused had concealed the gold in the form of capsules and paste, hiding it in private parts of their bodies to evade detection.
The alleged gold smuggling syndicate was busted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). The arrests came as a result of what the central agency described as a “well-coordinated surveillance operation.”
Approximately 3.356 kilograms of high-purity gold was recovered from the five accused, the DRI said in a press note. The precious metal was concealed in paste form within capsule-shaped packets, it added.
The smugglers were intercepted on the basis of “precise and actionable” intelligence, officials said. The accused were arrested from Terminal 2 of the airport, the agency informed, noting that they were part of a “sophisticated smuggling network” involving Bangladeshi nationals as well as “local facilitators”.
“Preliminary investigation indicates that the network is part of a larger cross-border smuggling syndicate, involving foreign operatives—suspected to be Bangladeshi nationals—working in tandem with domestic handlers and facilitators,” the DRI said in a press note.
‘HIGHLY ORGANISED MODUS OPERANDI’
According to the agency, investigations have revealed that the smuggling network used a “highly organised and clandestine” modus operandi, wherein the mules arriving from abroad deliberately chose transit routes through Bengaluru with extended layovers to facilitate covert transfer of contraband within the premises of the airport itself.
“The gold was concealed on the body and transferred using a pre-arranged passcode system inside sensitive areas such as washrooms & smoking Zones, thereby bypassing Customs scrutiny,” the DRI said in its release.
It added that the syndicate had infiltrated the “airport ecosystem” as well. The agency said that it also uncovered the alleged involvement of an airport insider who would misuse their authorised access to restricted zones at the facility to receive and smuggle out the contraband.
“The entire operation was coordinated through encrypted communication channels, including coded messages and disappearing chats, reflecting a deliberate attempt to evade law enforcement detection,” the press note added.
EFFORTS UNDERWAY TO DISMANTLE NETWORK
Further investigation is underway to identify the kingpins and dismantle the entire smuggling network, officials said. The DRI said that the operation highlighted the “evolving sophistication of smuggling methods and the growing nexus between international carriers and local enablers.”
– Ends
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