Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has seized gold worth ₹2.89 crore concealed inside a meat grinder at the International Courier Terminal in Mumbai, an official said on Saturday.
The seizure followed a tip-off, after which the DRI’s Mumbai Zonal Unit tracked a courier consignment originating from Saudi Arabia that was declared as containing a meat grinder. During inspection, officials dismantled the appliance and recovered 32 cut pieces of gold hidden inside.
The total weight of the seized gold was 1.815 kilograms. The consignment had arrived from Riyadh and was intercepted before clearance, the official said, adding that the seizure was made under the provisions of the Customs Act.
Two individuals who had arrived to collect the courier and facilitate its clearance were apprehended. Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused had arranged Know Your Customer documents of a firm to fraudulently clear the smuggled gold.
Further investigation is underway to identify other persons involved and determine the larger smuggling network, the official added.
