Staff Reporter
Guwahati: DRI has been at the forefront of developing and disseminating intelligence on gold smuggling, successfully unearthing the modus operandi used by smugglers. DRI has played a crucial role in dismantling major gold smuggling syndicates and apprehending key individuals involved in these activities. During the financial year 2023-24, DRI seized 1319 kg of gold, with land routes contributing 55% of the seizures and air routes contributing around 36%.
In a major operation, codenamed “Operation Rising Sun,” on March 12, 2024, DRI dismantled a large smuggling syndicate operating from Guwahati. The operation led to the seizure of 22.74 kg of gold, Rs 13 lakh in cash, 21 vehicle keys, 30 mobile phones, and the arrest of six individuals. Further operations in Assam, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh resulted in a total seizure of 61.08 kg of gold, valued at Rs 40.48 crore, and the arrest of 12 individuals.
Additionally, DRI has shared actionable intelligence with Customs field formations, leading to significant gold seizures by those units as well. Gold smuggling into India through its land borders, particularly from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Nepal, remains a persistent and complex issue.
India imports a substantial quantity of gold to meet its immense demand, being one of the largest gold consumers in the world. Since India produces only a negligible amount of gold, the majority of its demand is fulfilled through imports of gold bars as well as refined gold. As only limited amounts are allowed to be imported, smuggling of gold has turned into a lucrative business, and whole networks have emerged to smuggle gold into the country.
Smuggling through India’s porous eastern borders, particularly with Bangladesh and Myanmar, has also emerged as a major concern for law enforcement agencies. Gold is smuggled into India through two primary methods: commercial smuggling, where export and import schemes are exploited to evade duties, and outright smuggling, where gold is transported into the country by concealing it to avoid detection.Smuggling networks are highly organized and the use of complex, intricate routes and well-coordinated operations by these syndicates makes gold smuggling into India a persistent challenge for enforcement agencies.
Gold in bar and solid form remains a prevalent method of smuggling into India. Smugglers continue to employ innovative concealment techniques to evade detection. Smuggling gold in paste form continues to be a significant challenge. Smugglers melt pure gold, adulterate it with impurities, transform it into a solution, dry it, and then convert it into paste. This paste form is easier to smuggle, often disguised as harmless substances or hidden within legitimate goods.
One of the most prominent corridors for smuggling is along the India-Myanmar border, which spans four northeastern states: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram. Myanmar serves both as a source and a significant transit country for gold illicitly entering India. Smuggling syndicates exploit the difficult terrain and porous borders, particularly using established routes such as Tamu-Moreh and Zokhawthar. Gold trafficked from Myanmar often passes through key transit points like Muse, Ruili, and Mandalay before entering Indian territory. Manipur and Mizoram, due to their proximity to the border, have become hotspots for gold trafficking, evidenced by frequent seizures by DRI. DRI has intensified efforts to curb the flow of illicit gold that makes its way into mainland India through the Siliguri Corridor, a critical chokepoint.
To combat the growing menace of gold smuggling, DRI has intensified its surveillance and enforcement efforts. Major operations conducted by DRI, often in association with other enforcement agencies like the BSF, have led to substantial seizures of smuggled gold and the dismantling of organized smuggling syndicates.
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