The Indian Revenue Service has reported the arrest of four jewellers linked to the smuggling case involving Zakia Wardak, former Afghan Consul General in Mumbai, who attempted to smuggle 25 kilograms of gold.
Earlier this year, Wardak was detained at Mumbai International Airport with gold worth USD 2.2 million.
According to the Times of India, Rafiullah Kaliwal, an Afghan consulate employee in Mumbai, is also implicated in the case.
The investigation by the Indian Revenue Service revealed that Wardak met one of these jewellers in January 2024 to introduce Kaliwal to facilitate the cash sale of 200 kilograms of gold.
The agency disclosed that one of the detainees confessed to selling 300 kilograms of smuggled gold from January to April to clients referred by him.
Wardak's attempt to smuggle 25 kilograms of gold from Dubai to India was scheduled for April 25.
Following reports of her involvement in gold smuggling, Wardak resigned as Afghan Consul General in Mumbai.
Indian authorities clarified that Wardak was not arrested due to her diplomatic immunity. She was appointed during Ashraf Ghani's government and became the first Afghan female diplomat to serve under the Taliban.
Indian intelligence officials confirmed ongoing investigations, with efforts to apprehend key figures in the jewellery smuggling network underway.
According to Indian Revenue Service officials, their inquiries indicate that 300 kilograms of foreign-marked gold was smuggled into India in the first four months of this year.
Officials from the agency also suggested that Wardak might have smuggled gold bars into the country previously, selling them to jewellers.
