SRINAGAR: The Union Government on Monday said customs authorities and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) are maintaining constant surveillance against gold and silver smuggling, disclosing that 6,764 people have been arrested and nearly 12.81 tonnes of smuggled gold along with over 5.4 tonnes of silver have been seized since 2022-23.
The figures were released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in a written reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 399, amid concerns that the recent increase in import duties on precious metals could fuel smuggling, illegal trade and revenue losses.
Responding to the question, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said Customs field formations and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence remain on constant vigil and operational readiness to prevent and detect the smuggling of gold and silver.
He said the Government continuously monitors such risks and takes action under the Customs Act, 1962, and other applicable laws. Whenever smuggling is detected, authorities seize and confiscate the precious metals and arrest and prosecute those involved wherever warranted.
The data tabled in Parliament show that during 2022-23, customs authorities detected 4,619 cases of gold smuggling, seized 4,342.85 kilograms of gold, and arrested 1,740 persons.
In 2023-24, enforcement intensified with 6,599 cases registered—the highest in the period under review. Authorities seized 4,971.68 kilograms of gold and arrested 2,003 persons, also the highest annual number of arrests.
During 2024-25, the number of detected cases declined to 3,005, with seizures of 2,600.40 kilograms of gold and 1,240 arrests.
In 2025-26, customs officials registered 836 cases, seized 646.66 kilograms of gold, and arrested 508 persons.
The Government also released data for the current financial year, which has been split into two periods because import duties on gold and silver were revised with effect from May 13, 2026.
Between April 1 and May 12, 2026, authorities detected 165 cases, seized 86.16 kilograms of gold, and arrested 67 persons.
Following the duty revision, between May 13 and June 30, 2026, customs authorities registered 287 cases, seized 160.91 kilograms of gold, and arrested 116 persons.
Overall, between 2022-23 and June 30, 2026, authorities registered 15,511 cases of gold smuggling, seized 12,808.66 kilograms (12.81 tonnes) of gold, and arrested 6,764 persons.
The Government also reported significant enforcement against silver smuggling.
In 2022-23, authorities detected 64 cases, seized 784.29 kilograms of silver, and arrested one person. The following year, 50 cases resulted in seizures of 984.42 kilograms, again with one arrest.
In 2024-25, 47 cases led to the seizure of 2,505.18 kilograms of silver, the highest annual quantity during the period, with four arrests.
During 2025-26, officials seized 542.58 kilograms of silver in 44 cases, arresting three persons.
In the current financial year, seven cases detected between April 1 and May 12 resulted in the seizure of 49.53 kilograms of silver and eight arrests. Between May 13 and June 30, after the revised customs duty came into effect, authorities detected 16 cases, seized 535.95 kilograms of silver, and arrested two persons.
Taken together, the enforcement agencies detected 228 silver smuggling cases, seized 5,401.95 kilograms (5.4 tonnes) of silver, and arrested 19 persons during the period under review.
The parliamentary reply did not directly assess whether the higher import duty would lead to increased smuggling, revenue losses or the emergence of a parallel economy. Instead, the Government maintained that such risks are being addressed through continuous monitoring and strict enforcement measures, including seizure, confiscation, arrests and prosecution under existing laws.
