14 held as DRI blows lid off gold smuggling racket

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Bengaluru Zone, busted an organised gold smuggling syndicate by arresting 14 people — six inbound passengers from the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), five receivers, a financier-cum-organiser, a mediator/agent and a transporter — and recovered 11.29 kg gold worth Rs 3.67 crore.

The arrested financier is the key organiser of various smuggling syndicates. He runs a grocery shop in Majestic. Based on a tip-off, the DRI raided the shop on the night of October 13 and recovered details of passengers scheduled to land between 3 am and 4 am on October 14 in three different fights at the KIA. They were flying in from three Gulf regions — Dubai, Sharjah and Bahrain.

The sleuths intercepted six passengers and seized gold in compound-mixed-paste form strapped on to their bodies. A total of 22 kg of compound was recovered. The contraband gold, given by unknown persons at Dubai-Sharjah-Bahrain, was to be handed over to receivers outside the airport in exchange for some amount as carrier charges. The sleuths laid a trap for the receivers and arrested three from outside the airport.

It was learnt that three others, also members of the gang, were waiting to board a bus from Kengeri Satellite bus stand to Kerala. When the sleuths surrounded them, one got into an auto and fled. While being chased, he jumped out of the auto into bushes, but was nabbed.

The sleuths refined the impure gold and recovered a net quantity of 11.29 kg gold valued at Rs 3.67 crore.