DRI Busts International Gold Smuggling Ring in Gorakhpur, Three Arrested with ₹2.25 Crore Seizure

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has scored a major success in Gorakhpur, arresting three international gold smugglers near the railway station and seizing 1,600 grams of illegal gold bullion, valued at approximately ₹2.25 crore in the global market. Officials believe the smugglers are using Gorakhpur as a new hub for trafficking gold from Thailand and Myanmar into Nepal, Kolkata, and Bihar’s border districts.

Operation Details

The DRI team intercepted the smugglers on Wednesday evening near Gorakhpur Railway Station. Authorities recovered 20 gold biscuits totaling 1.6 kilograms from the accused. The operation highlights the increasing sophistication of cross-border smuggling networks, which have shifted their routes to exploit regional trading hubs, including Gorakhpur’s gold market.

International Links

According to DRI officials, the arrested individuals are part of a network that sources gold illegally from Thailand and Myanmar, smuggling it through Nepal and Kolkata into Bihar. Over the past two years, multiple DRI operations have recovered over 50 kilograms of illicit gold and led to the arrest of numerous smugglers and large-scale traders connected to the network.

Ongoing Surveillance and Past Operations

The DRI continues to maintain strict monitoring to dismantle international smuggling chains. The agency has previously conducted operations in May 2025, November 2024, August 2024, June 2024, and several months in 2023, seizing illegal gold worth billions of rupees. Despite these efforts, Gorakhpur and adjoining border districts of Bihar remain key centers for gold smuggling.

Officials have confirmed that while the smugglers have now shifted routes, the DRI is actively tracking their network and is determined to dismantle it completely in the coming weeks.

This operation underscores the ongoing threat posed by international gold smuggling and the critical role of intelligence-led enforcement in curbing illicit trade in border regions.