Page 52 - SMUGGLING IN INDIA REPORT FOR 2020-2021

6 2020-2021 SMUGGLING IN INDIA REPORT
be delivered to different parts of India. The spurt of economic activity seen after the easing of COVID related lockdown throughout the country, combined with the pent-up demand for gold, led to a surge in such smuggling activities. The blocking of air routes throughout the lockdown period also saw a significant
Figure 5-Map of India’s North East border
shift in the modus operandi of smugglers from the air routes to the land route through the Indo- Myanmar border.
Keeping constant vigil over these routes, with a view to counter any large-scale smuggling efforts, the officers of DRI made a string of spectacular gold seizures in the last three quarters of FY 2020-21. These include seizure of 51.33 kg of smuggled gold in November 2020, seizures of 84 kg and 66 kg of smuggled gold in August and November 2020 respectively and seizure of 55.61 kg of in January 2021.
Shown below are pictures of one of the major seizures made by DRI in which 5 individuals carrying gold bars tied around their waist, were intercepted.
Figure 6-Gold bars revealed on unravelling the waist band