As part of its sustained crackdown on organised gold smuggling, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) acted on intelligence and intercepted a car at Visakhapatnam during 08–09 October 2026. The car, carrying two passengers, was travelling from Kolkata to Hyderabad. Officers had chased it for a long distance, staying vigilant along the National Highway, before intercepting it.
Key developments
Officers searched the vehicle thoroughly, examining it at length and checking it systematically. They found a specially fabricated concealed cavity beneath the leg space of the front co-passenger seat. Three packets containing 5,832.90 grams of foreign-origin 24-carat gold, valued at approximately Rs. 8.98 crore, were recovered from the cavity. The occupants admitted that the gold had been smuggled into India across the Indo-Bangladesh border and was being taken to Hyderabad.
The gold was seized under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. Both occupants were arrested.
The case closely resembles another major recent DRI seizure on 18-19 September 2026. In that case, officers intercepted two Thar vehicles near Palwal Toll Plaza, near Delhi, and recovered more than 15 kg of foreign-origin gold, valued at more than Rs.23 crore, from sophisticated concealed cavities fabricated in the vehicles' chassis. Preliminary intelligence in that case indicated that the gold had been smuggled from Myanmar.
These cases show the increasingly sophisticated methods organised gold-smuggling networks use to move contraband across the country, concealing it in specially engineered cavities in vehicles. DRI remains committed to identifying such evolving concealment techniques, dismantling smuggling networks and safeguarding the country's economic and revenue interests.
Exam revision: key facts
Recall the answer first, then expand it to check the evidence from this article.
What is the main development reported?
As part of its sustained crackdown on organised gold smuggling, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) acted on intelligence and intercepted a car at Visakhapatnam during 08–09 October 2026. The car, carrying two passengers, was travelling from Kolkata to Hyderabad. Officers had chased it for a long distance, staying vigilant along the National Highway, before intercepting it.
Which dates or figures are stated in context?
Officers searched the vehicle thoroughly, examining it at length and checking it systematically. They found a specially fabricated concealed cavity beneath the leg space of the front co-passenger seat. Three packets containing 5,832.90 grams of foreign-origin 24-carat gold, valued at approximately Rs. 8.98 crore, were recovered from the cavity. The occupants admitted that the gold had been smuggled into India across the Indo-Bangladesh border and was being taken to Hyderabad.