Mumbai Airport staff among 4 arrested for smuggling gold worth ₹4.84 crore

Mumbai, Jan 3 (PTI)- The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Friday arrested four persons, including two airport staffers employed at a duty-free shop, for allegedly smuggling six kilograms of gold worth ₹4.84 crore at the international airport here, officials said.

The two staffers of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport were involved in smuggling gold by retrieving it from the international transit terminal in small batches and delivering it outside the airport, an official said. "The DRI officials had received specific information about a gold-smuggling syndicate involving the airport staff, following which the officials mounted surveillance on them," he said.

The Mumbai unit of the DRI intercepted two airport staff members when they were transporting the smuggled gold outside the airport, he said. "After their interrogation, two receivers were also apprehended by the DRI officials," he said.

During their search, the DRI officials found five oval-shaped capsules and two packets of gold dust in wax form weighing 6.05 kilograms worth ₹4.84 crore, the official said. The accused were arrested under provisions of the Customs Act, he said.