The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has made headlines with the arrest of four jewellers from Mumbai in connection with a significant gold smuggling case involving Afghanistan’s Consul General Zakia Wardak, according to a report by the Times of India.
Allegations by the DRI suggest that the smuggling syndicate managed to bring 300 kilograms of foreign-marked gold into India between January and April this year. An employee of the Afghan consulate is also implicated in the investigation.
The arrested individuals include Vaibhav Thaker, 31; Sahil Shah, 36; Vinod Shah, 60, all residents of Walkeshwar in South Mumbai; and Shailesh Jain, 55, a resident of Marine Drive. These arrests followed the interception of Wardak on April 25, who arrived from Dubai with 25 kilograms of foreign-marked gold bars valued at Rs 18.60 crore.
Investigations have revealed that a consulate staff member, Rafiullah Kelewal, may have connections to the smuggling syndicate. Thaker informed the DRI that from January to April, Jain and his brother from J K Jewels supplied a total of 300 kilograms of smuggled gold to customers introduced through him.
Further investigation unveiled that in January, Wardak visited the office of SK Shah, where she introduced Kelewal. They agreed to supply approximately 200 kilograms of gold to SK Shah in exchange for cash. After the gold was delivered, Sahil Shah sold it and transferred the cash to Kelewal. Subsequently, Jain would sell the gold to Thaker for cash.
A DRI officer mentioned, “Other key members of the syndicate, including Tejas Shah of SK Shah and Sons, and hawala operators, are yet to be apprehended.”
The involvement of Afghan diplomat Zakia Wardak in the smuggling case has raised significant concerns, particularly regarding diplomatic protocol and international relations between Afghanistan, India, and the UAE.
Wardak, who served as Afghanistan’s Consul General in Mumbai, resigned from her position following the controversy, marking a significant diplomatic fallout from the smuggling scandal.
This incident underscores governments’ challenges in curbing transnational smuggling networks and highlights the importance of robust border controls and international cooperation in combating such illicit activities.
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