The method of concealing gold in both the instances was the same, the statement said.
Based on intelligence inputs, officers of DRI inspected a consignment which arrived from Dubai at the Air Cargo Complex in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on 6 May.
In the import documents, the item was declared as “sectional and drum type drain cleaning machines", but on careful examination, 5.8 kg gold valued at Rs. 3.10 crore in disc form was found inside two motor rotors of the machine. The importer was located in south Mumbai and was arrested and has been sent to judicial custody by the Court, the statement said.
DRI officials had seized gold in Lucknow a day earlier. In that case too, DRI intercepted an import cargo said to contain “electrical threading machine" at the Air Cargo Complex of Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow and gold discs were found in the machines. Total 5.2 kg gold valued at Rs. 2.78 crore was seized in that case, the statement said.
Over the last year, DRI has made significant seizure of gold from cargo and courier consignments. In July 2021, DRI had seized 16.79 kg gold, valued at Rs. 8 crore from a courier consignment, followed by seizure of 80.13 kg smuggled gold valued at Rs. 39.31 crore, in November 2021 from a cargo consignment - both at New Delhi, the statement said.
In yet another case in August 2021, DRI had detected use of similar mode of concealment of smuggled gold in a consignment which had arrived at International Courier Terminal, Mumbai. DRI had recovered 5.25 kg of concealed gold valued at Rs. 2.67 crore, from that import consignment.
During 2021-22, DRI officers had seized 833 kg of smuggled gold valued at Rs. 405 crore, the statement said.
