Significant Gold Seizure at Varanasi Airport by DRI

DRI Uncovers Smuggled Gold at Varanasi Airport

On July 28, at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi, officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 491.290 grams of 24-carat gold valued at ₹70 lakh. According to DRI officials, they received a tip-off regarding an Indian passenger arriving from Sharjah with gold concealed in their luggage. Following this information, a search was conducted after the flight's arrival, leading to the discovery of the gold hidden beneath a passenger's seat in the form of a paste compound.

During the interrogation of the passenger, no documentation regarding the seized gold was found. Consequently, the individual was arrested on charges of smuggling. DRI officials also noted that on July 23, they had previously intercepted approximately 4.98 kilograms of gold, estimated to be worth ₹7.11 crore, from a female passenger traveling by train from Bihar to New Delhi, which had been smuggled from Bangladesh.