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DRI Seizes 1,319 Kg Gold Across India In FY 2023-24; Smuggling Tactics Evolve With ‘Mules’ And New Routes

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Mumbai: During the financial year 2023-24, DRI seized 1,319kg gold across the country in multiple cases, with the land route contributing 55% of the seizures and the air route around 36%. According to DRI data, smuggling syndicates have increasingly employed carriers to transport smaller quantities of gold, reducing potential losses in case of interception.

“Gold smuggling in India has evolved with smuggling syndicates now employing ‘mules’ with diverse profiles, including foreign nationals and families, alongside insiders. Smuggling syndicates even leverage international departure gates, where airport workers and other staff collude in smuggling gold from transit passengers. Air routes into India also remain a prominent method smugglers use, with Middle East and Southeast Asian countries traditionally being the major points of origin. Recently, airports in certain African and Central Asian countries have also emerged as key locations for smuggling operations,” the DRI stated in its report.

“India has become a major destination for illicit gold imports, with gold and silver predominantly originating from Gulf states such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, where these metals are sourced and available at lower prices. Smuggling through India’s porous eastern borders, particularly with Bangladesh and Myanmar, has also emerged as a major concern for law enforcement agencies. Gold is smuggled into India through two primary methods: commercial smuggling, where export and import schemes are exploited to evade duties, and outright smuggling, where gold is concealed to avoid detection. Smuggling networks are highly organised, and the use of complex routes and well-coordinated operations makes gold smuggling into India a persistent challenge for enforcement agencies,” the report stated.

“Smugglers frequently use passengers to conceal gold innovatively, including hiding it in their clothing, luggage, or even within their bodies, to evade customs detection. Gold in bar and solid form remains a prevalent method of smuggling into India. Smuggling gold in paste form continues to be a significant challenge. Smugglers melt pure gold, adulterate it with impurities, transform it into a solution, dry it, and then convert it into a paste. This paste form is easier to smuggle, often disguised as harmless substances or hidden within legitimate goods,” the report stated.

Crime

Delhi Police solve robbery case in 48 hours, arrest two

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New Delhi, Nov 19: In a coordinated operation, the South-West District Police solved a robbery case within 48 hours, arresting two men who allegedly targeted a commuter in the Vasant Kunj area.

According to a press release issued by the district police on Wednesday, the accused, both 22 years old and residents of Mahipalpur, were tracked down through extensive CCTV analysis and sustained field efforts.

The incident took place on November 14 when a PCR call alerted PS Vasant Kunj South about a robbery. Police officials rushed to the spot where the complainant, identified as K.K. from Gurugram, reported that two men forcibly snatched his phone and made him transfer Rs 1,500 from his account before fleeing.

A case under FIR No. 471/2025 was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and investigation began immediately.

Given the seriousness of the crime, a specialised team led by Sub Inspector Ravi Malik and comprising Head Constable Naveen, HC Nemi Chand, Constable Harish and Woman Constable Suman was formed to track the culprits. The team combed through CCTV footage across multiple routes, including NH-48, Vasant Kunj Road and Mahipalpur Road. Their efforts led them to Ashish, one of the suspects, who was subsequently detained.

Police said Ashish confessed during interrogation that he and his associate Abhishek Dixit, also known as Golu, had committed the robbery. Acting on this information, a follow-up search operation resulted in the arrest of Abhishek from a wooded area near Arjun Camp.

Both men worked in Mahipalpur hotels on a commission basis, according to the press release. One of them, Ashish, is a drug user, while Abhishek is illiterate.

The police recovered the robbed iPhone SE and the clothes the accused were allegedly wearing during the robbery. “Further investigation is in progress,” the press release issued by Amit Goel, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South-West District, stated.

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Crime

Mumbai: Anti-Narcotics Cell Seizes ₹1.16 Crore Heroin; 2 Drug Suppliers Arrested In Andheri

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Mumbai: In a major action against narcotics trafficking, the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch, Kandivali Unit, seized heroin worth ₹1.16 crore during a late-night operation in Andheri on Monday–Tuesday. Two drug suppliers were arrested while they had allegedly arrived in Andheri West to sell the contraband.

According to officials, one of the arrested accused hails from Uttar Pradesh, while the other is a native of Bihar. Both had been living in the Bandra area for the past few months. Police are now searching for other members of the drug network involved in the case.

A senior officer said that the drug trafficking chain is extensive, and continuous interrogation of the arrested accused is underway to uncover more links.

The ANC Kandivali Unit received a tip-off from a confidential informant that two men would be arriving near Andheri Railway Station (West) for drug peddling. Acting swiftly, the unit laid a trap in the area. Based on suspicion, two young men were detained, and upon searching them, police recovered 292 grams of heroin, valued at ₹1.16 crore in the international market.

Both suspects were immediately arrested. The Crime Branch is now conducting further investigation to trace other individuals connected to the drug trafficking racket. Police said they have already identified some associates and expect to arrest them soon. Initial inquiries revealed that the arrested accused had come to the Andheri area for the first time to supply drugs.

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Crime

‘This is terrorism and nothing else’: Owaisi on Dr Umar’s suicide bombing

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New Delhi, Nov 19: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday reacted to the recent viral video of Delhi blast accused Dr Umar Muhammad, alias Umar Un Nabi, where he is justifying suicide bombings and said that killing innocents is “a grave sin” and is “terrorism”.

Days after the Delhi blast, a self-recorded video of the i20 car driver, Dr Umar Mohammad, has surfaced, in which he attempts to justify his malicious plan, and refers to it as “martyrdom operation”.

Reacting to this, Owaisi took to X and posted, “There is an undated video of Delhi blasts accused Umar Nabi justifying suicide bombing as ‘martyrdom’, and that it’s ‘misunderstood’. Suicide is haram in Islam, and the killing of innocents is a grave sin. Such acts are also against the law of the land. They are not ‘misunderstood’ in any way. This is terrorism and nothing else.”

He further questioned the Centre over the Delhi blast attack and demanded accountability for the “failure to detect” the terror module.

“During Operation Sindoor and Mahadev, Home Minister Amit Shah had assured Parliament that no local Kashmiri had joined terror groups in the last six months. Where did this group come from then? Who is accountable for the failure to detect this group?” Owaisi questioned.

In a heavily accented video that went viral on Tuesday, Umar attempts to give his terror plan a religious connection.

He is heard saying, “One of the very misunderstood concepts is the concept of suicide bombing; it is a martyrdom operation; as it has been known in Islam… There are multiple contradictions and arguments that have been brought against it — martyrdom operation.”

He further went on to explain that “martyrdom operation” is “when a person presumes that he is going, for sure, to die at a particular place and time.”

His video has revealed the suicide-bombing mindset, indicating that he had planned extensively on a large-scale terror operation.

The car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort Metro Station on November 10 claimed the lives of at least 13 people and injured several others. The car was being driven by Dr Umar, a doctor associated with Faridabad’s Al Falah University.

The authorities reported that he went missing on November 9, following police raids in Faridabad that resulted in the seizure of almost 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate from a storage facility and the subsequent arrests of several of his associates.

During the investigation, law enforcement discovered that Umar and Dr Muzammil, who was apprehended after the police dismantled the terror network, had travelled to Turkey, where it is believed their handlers are based.

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