Major DRI crackdown in Delhi busts international gold smuggling racket with Dubai-Bangladesh links. Nearly 29.2 kg gold worth Rs 40 crore and Rs 2.9 crore cash seized as multiple arrests expose a well-organised cross-border syndicate.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized a massive quantity of smuggled gold and unaccounted cash in coordinated operations spanning Delhi and Agartala. The operation has dealt a significant blow to a well-organised syndicate with links to Dubai and Bangladesh, officials said on Tuesday.
According to official sources, the DRI seized gold biscuits weighing approximately 14 kilograms, valued at nearly Rs 19 crore, along with Indian currency amounting to Rs 2.87 crore during raids conducted in multiple locations. The intelligence-led operation was carried out with the assistance of personnel from the Assam Rifles, highlighting the growing coordination between enforcement agencies in tackling transnational smuggling networks.
Officials said the operation was initiated based on specific intelligence inputs pointing to suspicious movement of high-value consignments from Agartala to Delhi through domestic logistics channels. Acting on these inputs, DRI teams conducted searches at Shantipara and Dhaleswar areas, resulting in the recovery of smuggled gold and cash. Three individuals — identified as Kunal Jaiswal, Ajay Naha and Rakesh Das — were arrested during the initial phase of the crackdown.
A major breakthrough came on January 6, when a key member of the syndicate was apprehended at a domestic logistics warehouse in Delhi while taking delivery of two consignments originating from Agartala. Detailed examination of the consignments led to the recovery of 15 kilograms of foreign-origin gold bearing international refinery markings. The seized gold was valued at approximately Rs 20.73 crore, officials confirmed.
Simultaneous searches were conducted at multiple locations in both Agartala and Delhi, leading to the recovery of an additional 14.2 kilograms of foreign-origin gold and cash amounting to Rs 2.90 crore. The cash included Indian as well as Bangladeshi currency, pointing to the cross-border nature of the syndicate’s operations.
In total, enforcement agencies have seized 29.2 kilograms of gold valued at around Rs 40 crore and Rs 2.9 crore in cash under the provisions of the Customs Act. Four members of the smuggling syndicate have been arrested so far, and further investigations are underway to identify additional operatives and financial beneficiaries.
Investigators revealed that the syndicate was smuggling gold into India through the Indo-Bangladesh border via Tripura. The gold was then transported to Delhi using domestic cargo services, allegedly with the active involvement of handlers based in Dubai and Bangladesh. Local operatives, including individuals running jewellery businesses in Agartala, are also suspected to have played a key role in distributing the smuggled gold within India.
Officials said the case underscores the increasing sophistication of international smuggling networks, which exploit porous borders, domestic logistics infrastructure, and complex financial channels to evade detection. Authorities are now focusing on tracing the financial trails linked to the seized cash and identifying overseas masterminds coordinating the operations.
Meanwhile, in a separate operation targeting trafficking of counterfeit goods, the Assam Rifles, in coordination with the Customs Department in Silchar, Assam, recovered counterfeit cigarettes worth approximately Rs 34 lakh from a godown. The consignment was reportedly being transported via Silchar for further distribution to other states across India.
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A defence spokesperson said the Assam Rifles and the Customs Department in Silchar have been consistently conducting operations to disrupt counterfeit goods networks in the region. This seizure, officials said, marks another significant milestone in ongoing efforts to curb illegal trade and protect economic and consumer interests.
Authorities reiterated that such coordinated enforcement actions would continue as part of a broader strategy to dismantle organised smuggling and counterfeit networks operating across borders.
