Mumbai, October 19, 2025: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested two airport cleaning staff at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for allegedly smuggling 1.2 kg of foreign-origin gold valued at approximately ₹1.6 crore.

According to DRI officials, the arrests follow an ongoing investigation into a smuggling syndicate that used international passengers to bring gold into India, which was then retrieved from the aircraft by airport insiders. The two accused are employees of an airport services company operating at Mumbai airport.

During a surveillance operation on Saturday, DRI sleuths observed a team leader of the cleaning staff hurriedly placing a packet on the aerobridge staircase upon noticing the officials. The packet was recovered and found to contain 24-karat gold dust concealed in wax under a white cloth.

The staff member admitted during interrogation that he was attempting to hide the packet to avoid detection. He revealed that his supervisor had retrieved the gold from an aircraft and handed it to him. Acting on this information, the DRI also arrested the supervisor.

In total, 1.2 kg of gold dust, valued at around ₹1.6 crore, was seized under the Customs Act, officials said. The case is under further investigation to track the larger smuggling network allegedly operating through international flights and airport insiders.