MUMBAI, Jan. 26 -- The Mumbai unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Friday foiled an attempt to smuggle in foreign-origin gold worth an estimated Rs.2.89 crore, concealed inside a meat-grinding machine that arrived in the city through an international courier consignment from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The seized gold weighed 1.81 kg, and the DRI described the concealment method as "novel". Acting on specific intelligence, officers intercepted a courier shipment at the International Courier Terminal (ICT), Mumbai, and found the suspect parcel containing the meat grinder. During inspection, the machine was dismantled for detailed examination. Officers broke open the internal gear mechanism and recovered 32 cut pieces of gold of varying sizes, together weighing 1.81 kg. The gold and the meat grinder were seized under provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. Following the seizure, the DRI arrested two persons allegedly linked to the syndicate suspected to be behind the smuggling attempt. One of the accused had allegedly been tasked with collecting the consignment from the courier terminal, while the other is accused of arranging Know Your Customer (KYC) documents required to facilitate the clearance of the shipment. DRI officials said the case highlights the evolving concealment techniques being adopted by gold-smuggling networks to evade detection. "The DRI remains committed to exposing new smuggling methods, dismantling trans-national smuggling networks and safeguarding the country's economic security," an official said....