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Smuggling in India Report 2024-25 50

Sea , 0.50%

Land , 55.90%
Air , 43.70%

Figure 3: % of no. of gold seizures route-wise

c. Gold smuggling in paste form

Solid gold bars or jewellery are easily spotted, but gold, once converted into paste form,
can be packed into tubes, linings of clothes, bags, cardboard walls, or capsules for
in-body concealment. This makes detection of such gold quite challenging.

d. Major hotspots for gold smuggling

Gold smuggling in FY 2024-25 remained concentrated in hotspots like Maha-
rashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and West Bengal, serving as entry points or redistri-
bution hubs due to their strategic location, more number of flights, and transit
routes. Ladakh emerged as a new corridor, with its remote LAC border and limited
security presence. Northeastern states—Assam, Manipur, and Mizoram—contin-
ued to be key routes via porous borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar.

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