Gold smuggling at Mumbai airport: How transit passengers were used
Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport just saw a major bust—DRI's "Operation Golden Sweep" uncovered a huge gold smuggling ring.
Thirteen people were arrested, including airport staff and the suspected mastermind, after officials seized over 10kg of foreign 24-karat gold worth about ₹12.58 crore.
The scale of the operation highlights how deeply these illegal activities had infiltrated the airport.
Transit passengers were used as carriers
The DRI found that transit passengers flying from Dubai to destinations like Singapore, Bangkok, and Dhaka were used as couriers, hiding gold in wax capsules inside their bodies.
Once in Mumbai, they discreetly handed off the gold to complicit airport staff right in the international departure area.
As DRI put it, transit passengers "were used as carriers," highlighting the organized nature of these syndicates.