The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence ( DRI ) dealt a severe blow to a significant gold smuggling syndicate. Codenamed ‘Rising Sun,’ the operation conducted on March 12th and 13th, 2024, resulted in the seizure of approximately 61.08 kilograms of foreign-origin gold, valued at around Rs. 40 crore. The crackdown unfolded across Guwahati, Barpeta, Darbhanga, Gorakhpur, and Araria, with DRI officers seizing not only a substantial quantity of smuggled gold but also 19 vehicles, cash, and various electronic items. In Guwahati, the DRI officers apprehended six members of the syndicate, including two masterminds, from a residential premises.
The seizure in Guwahati alone yielded 22.74 kilograms of gold, cash amounting to Rs. 13 lakh, vehicles, and other electronic items. A vehicle that had already departed Guwahati was intercepted at Barpeta, Assam, approximately 90 kilometres away, resulting in the recovery of 13.28 kilograms of smuggled gold and the apprehension of two additional individuals. Further investigations led DRI officers to intercept a vehicle near Darbhanga, where an additional 13.27 kilograms of gold were seized. In Gorakhpur, another interception led to the recovery of 11.79 kilograms of foreign-origin gold.
Additionally, nine cars equipped with secret cavities, utilized by the syndicate, were identified and intercepted at Araria, Bihar, by DRI officers from Patna. Preliminary questioning of the apprehended individuals revealed the modus operandi of the syndicate. They smuggled gold into India through the Indo-Myanmar land border in small quantities, consolidating the stash in Guwahati before further transportation to destinations such as Delhi and Jaipur. In total, the operation led to the apprehension of 12 individuals, with eight arrests made in Guwahati, and two each in Muzaffarpur and Gorakhpur.