Mumbai, May 17: In a major crackdown on gold smuggling, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai, arrested a Chadian national who arrived at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) from Addis Ababa, after seizing 4,015 grams of gold worth Rs 3.86 crore ingeniously concealed in the heels of his slippers.

Acting on specific Intelligence, DRI officers intercepted the male passenger shortly after his arrival in Mumbai. Upon conducting a personal search, the officers discovered multiple foreign-origin gold bars cleverly hidden inside the modified heels of the man’s slippers.

In his voluntary statement recorded by officials, the Chadian national admitted to concealing the gold in this unusual manner to bypass customs checks and evade legal detection. The gold was seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and the passenger was placed under arrest.

Officials stated that further investigations are underway to trace the origin and intended recipients of the smuggled consignment and to determine if the incident is linked to a broader smuggling network.

This seizure adds to a growing list of recent smuggling attempts intercepted by vigilant DRI officials.

In an earlier case from April 2025, DRI Mumbai had seized foreign-origin gold worth Rs 6.30 crore from a passenger who had arrived at CSMIA from Bangkok. The gold, hidden in specially designed compartments of the passenger’s luggage, was also seized under the Customs Act, with the individual arrested immediately.

The DRI continues to maintain a strict vigil at international entry points, using a combination of Intelligence gathering and surveillance to thwart attempts at smuggling precious metals and other contraband. The agency reiterated its commitment to cracking down on such offenses, which pose a serious threat to economic stability and border security.

Mumbai: All preparations have been started in the backdrop of the import of sacrificial animals in Deonar Mandi before Eid-ul-Adha. Special arrangements have also been made for the slaughter of buffaloes and sacrificial animals in Deonar. The Mumbai Municipal Corporation has introduced an online facility for permission to slaughter sacrificial animals on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha. A coordination meeting of various agencies was held under the chairmanship of Additional Municipal Commissioner, City, Dr. Ashwini Joshi regarding the preparations for Eid.

Various elaborate arrangements at Deonar Slaughterhouse for slaughter of sacrificial animals. This year, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation has made an online facility available on the MyBMC application to apply for permission to slaughter sacrificial animals on the occasion of Eid. Also, online arrangements have been made for the import license of buffaloes and goats for the slaughter of sacrificial animals as well as ‘slot booking’ on the website https://www.mcgm.gov.in. Also, various elaborate arrangements have been made for the cattle market and the slaughter of sacrificial animals at the Deonar Slaughter House. Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. has directed that all the agencies involved in this entire system should work together to fulfill their responsibilities.

Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. reviewed the preparations made in the backdrop of Eid-ul-Azha. Ashwini Joshini reviewed the coordination meeting held at the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Headquarters. Mumbai Municipal Corporation Deputy Commissioner (Special) Chanda Jadhav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic-3) Pradeep Chavan, Assistant Commissioner (Property) Prithviraj Chauhan, Assistant Commissioner (M-East) Shri Ujjal Angule, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Deonar Division) Rajesh Babishti, along with General Manager of Deonar Reservoir Dr. Kaleem Pasha Pathan, officers from various departments of Mumbai Municipal Corporation, Police Force, Department of Animal Husbandry, Government of Maharashtra, Mumbai Veterinary College, Kora Centre, Department of Legal Metrology, Adani Electricity and other agencies were present on the occasion.

Mumbai: After appointing Special Commissioner Deven Bharti as the head of Mumbai in Mumbai city, now with the abolition of the post of Special Commissioner, the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to appoint a Joint Police Commissioner Intelligence in this post. This decision has been introduced to ensure the security of Mumbai city and the visits of VPIs, especially the frequent visits of the President of India, Vice President of India and Ministers to Mumbai and the security and intelligence collection of important installations. The responsibilities of the Joint Police Commissioner Intelligence are to collect intelligence in Mumbai city, protect the city and perform services under the Commissioner.

The Home Ministry has clarified in its order that the post of Special Commissioner was of the ADG i.e. Additional DG level and has now been downgraded to the level of Joint Commissioner of Police Mumbai Director General IG and after this amendment, now instead of the post of Special Commissioner, Joint Police Commissioner has been declared eligible for it. In such a situation, after this amendment, it has become clear that the first and last Special Commissioner in Mumbai was Deven Bharti and this post was created for Deven Bharti in Mumbai. Deven Bharti is also the special secretary of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, hence he was appointed as Special Commissioner in Mumbai. Now there is no space for this post, hence the government has downgraded this post and changed the name of this post to Joint Police Commissioner Intelligence.

The decision to create this post to strengthen intelligence in Mumbai city has been taken by the state home ministry, but reliable sources say that since Deven Bharti has been appointed as a commissioner from a special commissioner, there was no scope for this post for the state government. Instead, the state government and the home ministry have amended the gist of this post and changed it to the post of Joint Police Commissioner Intelligence so that it does not seem that the post of Special Commissioner has been abolished after Deven Bharti was appointed as the police commissioner. Earlier, there were five joint police commissioners in the Mumbai commissionerate, but now after the creation of this post, there will be 6 joint police commissioners.