India, June 15 -- The Mumbai zonal unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested a male crew member of Air India for allegedly smuggling 1.373 kg of foreign-origin gold, valued at approximately Rs.1.41 crore, into the country.

According to DRI sources, the crew member was intercepted on Friday at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) shortly after arriving from New York on flight AI-116.

The operation was based on specific intelligence suggesting that a syndicate was using airline crew members to smuggle gold from the United States into India. While an initial search of the crew member yielded no results, sustained questioning revealed that he had allegedly hidden a pouch containing gold bars-wra...