The gold extracted was sold to Delhi-based jewellers. (Representational)
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has arrested three people including a Chinese national believed to be one of the masterminds of a notorious syndicate involved in smuggling gold from Taiwan and Hong Kong into India and seized over 21 kg of gold worth over Rs 7 crore, an official statement said on Thursday.
Initial investigations point to the involvement of two separate China-based and Taiwan-based smuggling syndicates involved in smuggling gold into India by concealing it in utensils and other household goods, officials said.
The Taiwan- based syndicate hid gold in the sediment filters of RO water purifiers which were then couriered from Taiwan to New Delhi and collected by members of the syndicate. The gold was then extracted from the sediment filter using the re-melting process, they said.
The gold extracted was sold to Karol Bagh based jewellers, who are also being investigated, officials said
Two individuals including a Taiwanese national and an Indian who had come to take the delivery of the smuggled gold were arrested in the operation. A Chinese national was also arrested on Monday from the Delhi airport, the statement said.