Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai Zonal Unit, has busted an organised gold smuggling syndicate that allegedly moved foreign-origin gold from the Indo-Bangladesh border through a pan-India courier network, with 11 people arrested under “Operation Border Bullion Bust”.
Acting on specific intelligence, the DRI launched the coordinated multi-city operation on September 23, 2026, targeting a network allegedly smuggling gold through the land borders of West Bengal and Assam before transporting it to different parts of the country.
Simultaneous searches and interceptions were conducted in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Guwahati. Live courier consignments containing smuggled gold, booked from Guwahati and Kolkata for delivery in Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad, were intercepted. Seven consignees or recipients were subsequently apprehended.
Searches at the premises of the consignors and shippers in Kolkata led to the arrest of three more persons. In a swift follow-up action, the DRI also apprehended one of the alleged masterminds in Mumbai, who was reportedly responsible for coordinating the dispatch and delivery of the consignments.
The investigation found that the syndicate was allegedly transporting foreign-origin smuggled gold in multiple small courier parcels from Guwahati and Kolkata to recipients in Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad for disposal in the domestic market without documentation.
The operation resulted in the recovery and seizure of 6.61 kg of foreign-origin gold bars valued at approximately ₹10.36 crore under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
The DRI said preliminary scrutiny of documentary evidence has further revealed that, during the first nine months of 2026, the syndicate had allegedly transported and delivered approximately 318 kg of smuggled gold worth around ₹475 crore through the courier network using the same modus operandi.
The DRI said the operation underlines its continued focus on intelligence-led enforcement against organised gold-smuggling networks and efforts to curb the illicit movement of foreign-origin gold through India’s land borders.
