In its continuing crackdown on smuggling of gold into India from China and Taiwan, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested a Chinese national, believed to be one of the key masterminds of a notorious syndicate involved in smuggling of gold from Taiwan and Hong Kong into India, from Terminal-3 of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
DRI had previously seized more than 21 kg of smuggled gold, valued at Rs 7.62 crore, in October this year from a flat in an upscale housing society in Delhi.
Two individuals, including a Taiwanese national and an Indian, who had come to take the delivery of the smuggled gold were arrested in the operation.
The Chinese national arrested on Monday is one of the key members of the syndicate that supplied the gold that was seized in October. The investigation is on and more arrests in the case are likely.
Initial investigations point to the involvement of two separate China-based and Taiwan-based syndicates involved in gold smuggling into India by concealing it in utensils and other household goods.
The Taiwan-based syndicate concealed the gold in the ‘Sediment Filters’ of RO water purifiers which were then couriered from Taiwan to New Delhi and collected by members of the syndicate. The gold was then extracted from the sediment filter using the ‘re-melting process’. The gold so extracted was sold to Karol Bagh based jewellers in cash, who are also being investigated.
