DRI seizes over 42 kg of foreign-origin gold worth over ₹65 crore in major anti-smuggling crackdown
Distilled Policy Brief
- The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), in coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF), executed nationwide intelligence-led operations seizing over 42 kg of smuggled foreign-origin gold and silver valued at over ₹65 crore.
- The crackdown disrupted organized cross-border smuggling networks operating across major international airports, land borders (Indo-Bangladesh border), and coastal routes (Sri Lanka to Tamil Nadu).
- Perpetrators were arrested under the Customs Act, 1962, revealing diverse modus operandi involving airport transit exploitation, physical body concealment, and modified vehicle cavities.
🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is the premier anti-smuggling agency functioning under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Ministry of Finance, enforcing provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages
Highlights the complex nature of transnational organized crime and border management challenges, underscoring the critical need for inter-agency coordination (DRI, BSF, Airport Intelligence) to safeguard national economic security.
🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill
With reference to anti-smuggling enforcement operations and the legal framework in India, consider the following statements: 1. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) functions under the Ministry of Finance as a key agency combating the smuggling of contraband goods. 2. Arrests and legal proceedings against individuals involved in cross-border gold smuggling are carried out under the Customs Act, 1962. 3. Anti-smuggling intelligence operations along sensitive international land borders, such as the Indo-Bangladesh border, can involve joint coordination between the DRI and the Border Security Force (BSF). Which of the statements given above are correct?
- [A] 1 and 2 only
- [B] 2 and 3 only
- [C] 1 and 3 only
- [D] 1, 2 and 3
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
All three statements are correct. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) operates under the Ministry of Finance as the primary agency countering illegal trade and smuggling. Perpetrators involved in cross-border gold smuggling across major transit points are arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. Additionally, nationwide intelligence-led operations along international land borders, such as West Bengal's Nadia district near the Indo-Bangladesh border, involve direct coordination between the DRI and border guarding forces like the Border Security Force (BSF).
🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)
Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.