In a significant breakthrough, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has dismantled an international gold smuggling syndicate, leading to the arrest of six individuals, including three Filipinos. The syndicate was reportedly operating with the involvement of private individuals at the airport. The arrested individuals are identified as Mumbai residents Himanshu Upadhyay, Mohid Hasan Siddiqui, Feroz Sayyed, and three Filipinos – Lakim Alimudin Nasser, Benny Lloyd Olivo, and Christine Joy Andaya Pornasdoro.
According to DRI officials, the arrested individuals confessed during questioning that they were part of a smuggling network that trafficked gold through transit passengers from Dubai and Bangkok to Mumbai, with the help of certain airport personnel at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). Earlier this month, DRI, in collaboration with agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), uncovered an interstate wildlife trafficking syndicate spanning West Bengal and Maharashtra.
The wildlife trafficking operation led to the rescue of various endangered species, including Slow Lorises, Binturongs, Star Tortoises, Egyptian Vultures, and Shikra birds. The intelligence for this case was provided by DRI, and the investigation has been taken over by the CBI, resulting in the arrest of the six individuals. DRI has also thwarted multiple attempts to smuggle protected wildlife into India through international airports, seizing species like Albino Red-eared Turtles, African Spurred Tortoises, Green Iguanas, and various other protected animals.
