DRI busts gold smuggling syndicate operated by Chinese nationals; recovers gold worth ₹1.10 crore from treadmill motor
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has dismantled an international gold-smuggling syndicate involving Chinese nationals and an Indian importing firm. The group concealed a 24-carat gold bar inside the motor of a treadmill imported from Hong Kong.
Why it matters
This case highlights evolving methods used by criminal syndicates to exploit legitimate commercial supply chains for illegal smuggling operations.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted an international gold-smuggling syndicate between September 3, 2026, and September 6, 2026, allegedly operated by Chinese nationals, after finding a 24-carat gold bar weighing around 692 grams worth ₹1.10 crore inside the motor of an imported treadmill at Mumbai’s Air Cargo Complex.
A Chinese national and the Indian owner of the importing firm were arrested under the Customs Act, 1962.
According to the DRI, officers intercepted and examined a consignment of treadmills imported from Hong Kong on the basis of specific intelligence. During the examination, they found an arc-shaped gold bar concealed inside the motor of one treadmill.
A DRI source said this was the first case detected by the agency in which gold had been concealed inside a treadmill, although smugglers have previously used other types of commercial consignments to conceal gold.
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