Key Gold Smuggling Operator Muniyat Ali Khan Extradited from UAE to India by NIA and CBI

A key operator of an international gold smuggling network, wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a case in 2020, has been brought in by agencies from the United Arab Emirates, people familiar with the development said on Tuesday.

Identified as Muniyat Ali Khan, he was involved in providing gold to his accomplices to smuggle gold from Riyadh to India. An Interpol Red Notice was issued against him and he was geolocated in the UAE. His return from there was coordinated by the Global Operations Center of the Central Intelligence Agency (CBI).

Gold bars weighing around 18.5 kg were smuggled from Saudi Arabia to Jaipur International Airport in July 2020. The NIA, which investigated the case, filed a chargesheet in 2021 against 18 people, including Khan.

Earlier, in April this year, another wanted accused in the case, Shoqat Ali, had returned from Saudi Arabia.

“The Global Operations Center of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has closely coordinated with the NIA and Interpol National Central Bureau – Abu Dhabi for the return of Muniyat Ali Khan, a key operator of the international gold smuggling network, from the United Arab Emirates to India,” a CBI spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The NIA investigation revealed that Khan “allegedly conspired with his co-accused to illegally smuggle gold bars into India from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia”.

“He along with his co-accused provided gold bars to be smuggled from Riyadh to Jaipur, India,” the spokesperson added.

“On the request of NIA, the CBI received a red notice against the matter from Interpol on September 13, 2021 and it was sent to all law enforcement agencies worldwide to track the wanted criminal. The object is located in United Arab Emirates. He returned to India on Tuesday and from Jaipur airport, a team of NIA took up the matter,” the spokesperson added.