DRI Foils Gold Smuggling Attempt at Pune Airport, Seizes Rs 3 Crore Worth of Gold

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Pune Regional Unit, uncovered a major smuggling operation at Pune International Airport, seizing over 5.6 kg of gold worth Rs 3 crore. The incident raises security concerns, as this marks the fourth smuggling attempt in the past ten days.

Acting on a tip-off received on January 24, 2024, the DRI Pune team closely monitored Spice Jet Flight No. SG-152 arriving from Dubai. The intelligence suggested that a female passenger would attempt to smuggle gold, concealed as gold paste, under her waist belt.

Upon the flight's arrival, DRI officers identified the suspect and discovered gold paste cleverly hidden in her possession. The woman, accompanied by a fellow traveller, was found with around 5482.39 grams of gold paste in a white belt and an additional 1432.28 grams in an off-white purse.

The seized gold paste, initially weighing 6.9 kg, yielded nearly 5.67 kilograms of pure gold valued at almost Rs. 3.66 crore. The authorities invoked the 1962 Customs Act to seize the illicit goods.

Both individuals involved in the smuggling attempt have been arrested. The ongoing investigation aims to unravel the intricacies of this smuggling network.

This marks the fourth intervention by authorities at Pune Airport in the last ten days. On January 19, the Pune customs team detained a passenger arriving from Dubai with restricted gold paste worth Rs 73 lakh on SpiceJet flight SG-152. Additional incidents on January 14 and January 11 involved the interception of a female traveller with various contraband, including tobacco, cigarettes, fragrances, and gold jewellery, and the seizure of a 24k gold belt buckle from another passenger arriving from Dubai.