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The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted an organised gold smuggling syndicate that allegedly brought foreign-origin gold into India through Ahmedabad and Surat airports, seizing evidence linked to 13.017 kg of gold valued at approximately ₹19.41 crore. Three persons have been arrested under the Customs Act, 1962. Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers conducted coordinated searches over 42 hours from October 16, 2026, uncovering a network involving air passengers, handlers, intermediaries, an illegal gold-melting facility in Vadodara and a jewellery shop in Ahmedabad. Preliminary investigations revealed that gold was allegedly smuggled using concealed methods, including rhodium-coated gold wires, gold hidden in trolley bag linings and gold paste concealed within bags. After arriving at the airports, passengers allegedly handed over the gold to handlers, who routed it through intermediaries to a melting facility in Vadodara. The melted gold was then supplied to a jewellery shop in Ahmedabad for cash sales. ........
