Woman arrested at Mumbai International Airport for smuggling 6 kg gold worth Rs 1.16 crore

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Friday arrested an Indian woman for smuggling gold valued Rs 1.16 crore into the country. Gold jewellery weighing more than 6 kg was seized by the officials at Mumbai International Airport.

The passenger, identified as Farida Juzar Hajuri, was arrested on a tip-off.  The woman arrived from Dubai on Emirate Airways flight EK-502 on Friday night. 

Also read: Gold hidden under seat of a Jet Airways Abu Dhabi-Bengaluru flight seized

"On her arrival at Mumbai airport, she was intercepted after she had cleared herself through the customs green channel. Hajuri was found with four bubble-wrapped packets containing assorted gold jewellery totally weighing 6.053kg. valued at Rs. 1.16 crore," a DRI official was quoted as saying by the Times of India. 

The accused was formerly employed as a teacher in a school in Dubai for six years. She was sent to judicial custody until January 21, Press Trust of India reported.

The woman confessed to being part of a syndicate. "She is part of a Dubai-based syndicate that largely employs women as carriers to smuggle gold into India. Further investigation is on to identify the other members of the gang and ascertain how many times they might have smuggled gold into the country in the past," the official told the agency. 

Last July, SpiceJet suspended two employees who were held in Mangalore International Airport on charges of smuggling gold into India. The gold weighing 2.56 kg, valued at about Rs 75 lakh, was hidden under one of the aircraft seats.  In the same month, DRI officials arrested a 50-year old man at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport for smuggling 45 gold bars worth Rs 1.65 crore.