The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has successfully dismantled an organized gold smuggling syndicate operating through Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad and Surat International Airport. In a coordinated 42-hour operation beginning on 16 October 2026, DRI officers uncovered a comprehensive smuggling network that involved sophisticated concealment methods, illegal melting operations, and domestic sales channels.
The operation resulted in the detection of 13.017 kg of foreign-origin gold valued at approximately Rs. 19.41 crore. The smuggling methods included thin gold wires coated with rhodium, gold embedded in the inner linings of trolley bags, and gold paste concealed within the bags' inner shells. After arrival, the gold was handed over to handlers outside the airports and routed through intermediaries to an illegal gold-melting facility in Vadodara.
The investigation revealed that the melted gold was subsequently supplied to a jewellery shop in Ahmedabad for sale against cash. The operation led to the seizure of approximately 890 grams of physical gold and recovery of incriminating evidence relating to 6.41 kg of illegally melted gold. Further searches at the jewellery shop resulted in recovery of undocumented foreign-origin gold bars and records relating to dealings involving approximately 5.8 kg of smuggled gold routed through a separate handler linked to the syndicate's main financier based in Dubai.
Three persons have been arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, including key operatives in the handling and melting operations. The operation exposed the interconnected roles of passengers, handlers, intermediaries, the gold-melting facility operator, and the jewellery trade channel in facilitating the movement and disposal of smuggled gold.