The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has busted a pan-India gold smuggling racket and seized 6.61 kg of foreign-origin gold bars worth Rs 10.36 crore. The Finance Ministry announced the crackdown on Monday.

Officials said 11 people were arrested, including the alleged mastermind. The operation ran on September 23 and 24 across Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Guwahati.

The syndicate moved gold across the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal and Assam. It then split the gold into small consignments sent through couriers. The senders and receivers were paper entities, which made the network hard to trace.

Investigators said the same syndicate had pushed about 318 kg of gold worth Rs 475 crore through couriers over the past nine months. Cases have been filed under the Customs Act, 1962.

Officials said the courier route was picked to dodge checks at airports and border posts. The DRI is now tracing the money trail to find who funded the racket.