The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has busted a gold smuggling racket at Indore international airport in Madhya Pradesh and arrested five people, including a Customs department official and an employee of a private airline, officials said on Wednesday. During the August 3 operation at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport, the agency seized 1.02 kg of foreign-origin gold worth about Rs 1.44 crore.
In a separate operation in the state, DRI officers intercepted two people at Katni Junction railway station and recovered a foreign-origin gold bar weighing 748.10 grams that had been concealed in a specially made cloth waist belt. A follow-up search at the premises of a Katni-based jeweller led to the recovery of another 220.9 grams of foreign-origin gold, taking the total seizure in that case to 969 grams worth Rs 1.39 crore. Three people were arrested in the case.
According to a DRI release, the syndicate at the Indore airport used a distinctive method. Passengers carrying foreign-origin gold from Abu Dhabi, after getting off the aircraft, handed over the smuggled gold to an Air India Express employee at the aerobridge before entering the Customs arrival area. The employee would then go down from the aerobridge by stairs on the tarmac, bypass Immigration and Customs, and hand over the gold to syndicate members waiting outside the airport.
“Acting on intelligence inputs, the DRI officers kept discreet surveillance outside the airport on August 3. After some time, a car with two syndicate members entered the airport premises and stopped at a short distance from the arrival point,” the agency said in the release. It said a person dressed in the official uniform of Air India Express soon approached the car and delivered a parcel to the people inside. The car then sped towards the airport exit, but DRI officers intercepted it after strategically cordoning off the exit road.
A detailed search of the vehicle led to the recovery of two silver-coloured metal kadas inside the glove box. On rubbing the outer surface of the articles on a hard surface, officers found that they were actually made of gold and had been coated with a layer of silver to conceal their true nature and avoid detection by Customs authorities.
The DRI said it later confirmed the identity of the passenger who had carried the gold from Abu Dhabi and intercepted the person. The Air India Express employee who was allegedly helping the syndicate was also identified and intercepted. Detailed questioning of the accused showed that an executive assistant of Indore Customs was also helping the syndicate smuggle foreign-origin gold into India.
According to the release, the seized gold weighed 1.02 kg and was of 24-carat purity. It was in the form of two silver-coloured metallic kadas and had a market value of Rs 1.44 crore. All five accused were arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
In the Katni case, the DRI said the two accused intercepted at the railway station were travelling from Howrah railway station by the Howrah-CSMT Mumbai Mail, train number 12321, to deliver the smuggled gold to a Katni-based jeweller. The 748.10-gram gold bar was concealed in a specially made cloth waist belt. In the follow-up search at the jeweller’s premises, officers recovered 220.9 grams of foreign-origin gold.
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Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Aug 5, 2026 19:26 IST
