Border police in India have arrested a woman attempting to smuggle gold at a border crossing. Police seized over 2 kg of gold bars from the woman as she was entering from Bangladesh.
The 34 year old woman from the Chittagong district in Bangladesh had hidden 27 different types of gold bars in cloth and secured it around her waist.
During her arrest the woman admitted to being paid to bring the gold across the border and had been instructed to deliver them to someone whom she did not know.
She told officials that this was her first attempt at smuggling gold across the border and that she was to be paid ₹ 2,000, around $25 for the task.
Reports of gold smuggling have rising sharply in recent years along the border between India and Bangladesh. A regional jewelry association from Bangladesh estimates that more than $700,000 worth of gold bullion is illegal smuggled into the country each year.
During the three year period between 2019 and 2022, India’s Border Security Force seized over 133 kg of gold that was being smuggled through West Bengal.
- March 19, 2023 – 4.7 kg of gold biscuits seized from a fish delivery truck.
- April 4, 2023 – 604 kg of gold seized by customs as Mumbai airport during 11 months between April 2022 and February 2023. Customs reports gold seizures at other major international airports include Delhi at 374 kg, Chennai at 306 kg, Hyderabad at 124 kg.
Authorities believe this is just a fraction of the amount of gold that is being smuggled through the region.
Much of the smuggled gold has been traced back to illegal mining operations throughout the Middle East, Singapore and many as far away as South Africa.
Officials believe that part of the problem stem from recent increases in taxes on the importation of gold imposed by the Ministry of Finance. The duty to import gold into India was raised from 7.5% to 12.5%. Plus an additional 2.5% tax is added to support the national mining infrastructure.