Archive · 13 Jan 2026
Gold Paste Smuggling Surges in India
In India, smugglers are using a new trick to bring in gold.
They turn gold into a paste, which is very hard to detect.
This paste can hide in Velcro bands or other places on the body, making it difficult for scanners to find.
Recently, authorities caught someone with 9.46 kg of gold paste worth Rs 11.4 crore.
The smugglers melt gold, add impurities, and dye it to make the paste.
Once in India, they convert it back to gold using chemicals.
This method is tricky to stop because regular scanners can't detect the paste.
Authorities are now using profiling and Intelligence to catch smugglers.
Gold paste smuggling is increasing in India due to high domestic demand and profit margins.
Smugglers use Velcro bands to hide gold paste, making it difficult to detect with scanners.
Authorities seized 9.46 kg of gold paste worth Rs 11.4 crore from an Emirates flight crew member.
Gold paste is made by melting gold, adding impurities, and dyeing it, then converting it back to gold after smuggling.
Detection relies on passenger profiling, Intelligence, and tip-offs, as traditional scanners cannot detect gold paste.
- Who
- Indian smugglers and authorities like the DRI and CISF
- What
- Increase in gold paste smuggling cases
- When
- Recent cases, with a notable incident in July 2023
- Where
- Airports in Chennai, Surat, Mumbai, and Bengaluru
- Why
- High domestic demand and profit margins from avoiding duties and taxes
- Gold Seized
- 9.46 kg
- Gold Value
- Rs 11.4 crore
- Profit Margin
- Exceeds Rs 1.5 million per kg
- Primary Smuggling Routes
- UAE, Singapore, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal
- Detection Methods
- Passenger profiling, Intelligence, tip-offs
