Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, May 14: In a major enforcement action, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized diamonds worth over Rs 5.7 crore at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and arrested two individuals accused of attempting to smuggle the precious stones to Bangkok.

According to officials, the accused were intercepted at the airport following specific intelligence inputs. During questioning, both passengers allegedly confessed to concealing capsules containing diamonds inside their bodies.

The capsules were later retrieved, leading to the recovery of 1,624 carats of diamonds, including both natural and lab-grown stones. Authorities have estimated the total value of the seized material at approximately Rs 5.70 crore.

Officials said the diamonds were intentionally concealed as part of an illegal export attempt. The recovered consignment has been seized under provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and both individuals have been taken into custody.

The DRI stated that investigations are ongoing to trace the wider network behind the smuggling attempt, which is suspected to have links to an international money laundering syndicate.

In a separate earlier operation on April 20, the Mumbai unit of the DRI had arrested an importer involved in a large-scale misdeclaration case linked to goods worth Rs 139 crore.

The consignment, intercepted at Nhava Sheva Port, involved 132 containers carrying around 3,029 metric tonnes of goods falsely declared as “Toor Dal/Pigeon Peas.”

Officials later discovered that the shipment included 2,710 metric tonnes of watermelon seeds originating from Tanzania and Sudan, along with 319 metric tonnes of green peas from Canada.

Authorities said the importer had allegedly attempted to bypass trade restrictions imposed to protect domestic agriculture markets, including regulations under DGFT notifications governing import limits and pricing controls.

The DRI has intensified intelligence-based enforcement operations across ports and airports, stating that such actions are aimed at preventing smuggling of restricted goods, safeguarding economic interests, and ensuring compliance with India’s import regulations.