The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai Zonal Unit, on Saturday said that it launched `Operation Golden Sweep` and busted a gold smuggling syndicate at Mumbai airport as part of its operation.

An official statement said that the DRI successfully dismantled an international gold smuggling syndicate operating through transit passengers and insider airport staff at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai.

It said that under a well-coordinated intelligence-driven operation codenamed `Operation Golden Sweep`, DRI officers seized 10.488 kg of 24-carat foreign-origin gold, valued at approximately Rs 12.58 crore, and arrested 13 suspects.

The arrested include, two Bangladeshi nationals, six Sri Lankan nationals, two airport employees (from a meet-and-greet service), two handlers and one alleged mastermind based in Mumbai.

The statement said that the investigations revealed a highly organised transnational syndicate using an advanced smuggling technique. Transit passengers travelling from Dubai to destinations like Singapore, Bangkok, and Dhaka via Mumbai were used as carriers, concealing gold in egg-shaped wax capsules inside their bodies.

Upon arrival at CSMIA, these passengers would secretly hand over the concealed gold to complicit airport staff within the international departure area. The staff then illegally removed the gold from the airport and passed it to handlers, who coordinated deliveries with the Mumbai-based mastermind, it said.

The syndicate reportedly maintained multiple layers of operation, with handlers, receivers, and coordinators both within India and abroad, especially in Dubai, the officials said, adding that further investigation is ongoing, and more arrests and seizures are expected as the DRI continues to dismantle this international network.

A DRI official said, “The case underscores the increasing threat posed by insider collusion within sensitive infrastructure, as smuggling networks evolve to exploit transit loopholes and airport personnel for illegal financial gain. The success of Operation Golden Sweep highlights the DRI’s strong intelligence-gathering, rapid enforcement, and cross-agency collaboration in curbing the illicit gold trade, which poses risks to India’s economic security.”

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