Mumbai DRI Busts Alleged International Smuggling Syndicate; 6 Arrested, ₹7.50-Crore Gold Seized

DRI arrested six persons, including three Philippine nationals, for alleged gold smuggling at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

Seized 5.251 kg of gold in wax form, valued at approximately ₹7.50 crore, from four gold bars.

Arrested include airport contractual worker Himanshu Upadhyay, store manager Feroz Sayyed, and Kurla residents Mohid Hasan Siddiqui; Philippine nationals Lakim Alimudin Nasser, Benny Lloyd Olivo, and Christine Joy Andaya Pornasdoro.

Syndicate allegedly used transit passengers from Dubai and Bangkok to smuggle gold, coordinated with airport staff to bypass customs.

Defense argues the Philippine nationals were in transit and not entering India, raising legal questions about customs declaration obligations.