Police in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, have busted a large-scale international gold smuggling racket involving not just petty criminals but a complex network of financiers, doctors, and travel agents. The syndicate operated across Rampur, Tanda, Amroha, Sambhal, and Moradabad, with members traveling frequently to Dubai, often on tourist visas, to bring in 99.9% pure gold capsules hidden in their stomachs.
The investigation began after four smugglers were arrested, leading to the interrogation that exposed names of nine key players, including financier Zahid Member, and several others from the Hajipura area of Tanda. As the inquiry deepened, police found that the smuggling operations were financed, coordinated, and medically supported locally while being executed internationally.
Notably, one smuggler — Shane Alam — had flown to Dubai five times in five months, while another, Zulfikar, had made 20 trips in two years, highlighting the frequency and scale of operations. These individuals returned via Mumbai and Delhi after collecting gold in Dubai and would reconvene in Tanda for further distribution.
Medical Complicity and Human Couriers: Gold Inside Stomachs, Smugglers in Hospital
The smuggling operation relied heavily on ingesting gold capsules, a risky and painful process. Financiers not only sponsored the entire travel and lodging but also coordinated with doctors in case of medical emergencies. During interrogation, smugglers admitted that capsules often got stuck in their digestive tracts, causing severe pain — upon which the gang would call in doctors to assist in extraction and recovery.
In a shocking incident, Muttalib, a smuggler from Yusuf Chowk in Rampur, had eight capsules removed from his stomach, but two remained lodged, necessitating his re-admittance to the district hospital after the court granted police remand. Doctors tried several procedures but failed to extract the remaining capsules, reflecting the life-threatening methods employed in this high-stakes crime.
Police have registered a case at Moondhapande Police Station under multiple sections of the Customs Act, including 111, 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340, and 135. The recovered gold, verified through purity testing, was confirmed to be 99.9% pure, indicating direct sourcing from international gold markets.
Visa Fraud, Immigration Monitoring, and Ongoing Investigations
This high-profile case has triggered a multi-agency investigation, with inputs from the Immigration Department, Customs, and Local Intelligence Unit (LIU). Police are compiling travel histories and visa patterns of all accused and collaborating with immigration officers to understand how frequent international travel was permitted without detection.
SSP Satpal Antil confirmed that the LIU has been deployed to probe visa misuse, as several of the accused had traveled abroad dozens of times under suspicious circumstances. Meanwhile, the Customs Department has been briefed on the findings, and further arrests are likely.
Interestingly, two individuals — Mohd Naved and Zahid — who recently returned from Saudi Arabia, were initially detained but later released after ultrasound tests showed no gold in their systems, and they were found to have no links with the Dubai-based smuggling ring.
The homes of the main accused, especially in Tanda and Rampur, now wear a deserted look, as several others involved in the racket are believed to be hiding in Dubai, awaiting further instructions following the arrests.
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A Gold Trail Exposing Deep Corruption and Medical Misuse
The Moradabad gold smuggling bust has peeled back layers of an international operation rooted in local collaboration, powered by illicit finance, exploited medical expertise, and disguised as tourism. As arrests mount and cross-border investigations intensify, the case not only exposes the scale of gold trafficking in North India but also raises serious questions about airport security, medical ethics, and visa loopholes.
The Uttar Pradesh Police have vowed to continue their pursuit and are in contact with central agencies for deeper transnational cooperation. With more names under the radar and financial links being traced, this case may prove to be one of the largest and most sophisticated smuggling operations uncovered in the state in recent years.