BENGALURU: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted a major international gold smuggling syndicate at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and seized 3.3kg of high-purity gold worth Rs 5 crore and arrested five persons.
The operation was carried out by the DRI’s Bengaluru Zonal Unit on April 6 and 7 at Terminal-2 of the airport, following a tip-off from the intelligence wing. Officials intercepted the well-organised network, involving suspected Bangladeshi nationals, working in coordination with local facilitators.
Officials said the smuggled gold was concealed in paste form inside capsule-shaped packets and carried on the body. The syndicate used washrooms and smoking zones to transfer the smuggled gold to evade Customs checks.
The probe revealed that carriers arriving from abroad deliberately opted for transit routes through Bengaluru with longer layovers, enabling them to pass on the contraband to handlers inside the airport using pre-arranged passcodes. Officials also uncovered the involvement of an insider who allegedly misused authorised access to restricted areas to receive and smuggle out the gold.
The syndicate relied on encrypted communication channels, including coded messages and disappearing chats, to avoid detection.
Preliminary findings suggest that the racket is part of a larger cross-border smuggling network involving foreign operatives and domestic handlers. DRI officials said efforts are under way to identify the kingpins and dismantle the entire syndicate.