Smugglers busted, four held with gold, silver worth ₹7 cr

OFFICIALS SAID THE MASTERMIND OF THE SMUGGLING RING WAS A WOMAN FROM CHINA

MUMBAI: Four people, including two Chinese nationals, were arrested in Mumbai on Tuesday for allegedly smuggling gold and silver into India. The four men were arrested after the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) cracked down on an international gold smuggling ring and seized 21kg of gold and 35kg of silver, worth ₹7 crore.

Officials said the accused, identified as Wang Guangcan, Weng Shunzen, Kamar Abbas Syed and Mihir Mehta, got away with bringing in gold and silver as they would blend the metals into everyday items such as handbags — the bag’s metal straps and zips were made of gold and silver. They would also embed them on ashtrays, plates and fruit trays. The items would arrive as courier consignments addressed to bogus firms, and the accused would declare the contents in the paperwork as high-end ashtrays, household goods and handbags from Hong Kong, a DRI official said. Officials said the mastermind of the smuggling ring was a woman from China, identified as Zhang Ai Ling. They said she had sent the two Chinese men to separate the gold and silver from the items.

The DRI acted on specific inputs and raided an apartment the two Chinese nationals had rented in Marol, Andheri (East), and found the cartons with the gold and silver. The two men led the DRI team to a gold melting unit called True Jewel in Dahisar (East). At this unit, the DRI found furnaces, melters and other equipment used to separate the gold-silver mixes. Later, the pure gold would be transported to be sold in the bullion market. The unit belonged to Mehta.

Shaikh, would help the Chinese nationals float companies in whose names the consignments were received. Both Shunzen and Guangcan are convicts in China — the former served time for drug trafficking, while the latter has a robbery case. Officials suspect the involvement of more people.