#India’s illegal gold imports surged to the highest since 2023 in the third quarter as a government duty hike spurred use of unofficial channels, according to a report from the World Gold Council. Informal shipments for July to September jumped more than 1,500% to 50 metric tons from 3 tons a year earlier, the producer-funded group said, citing data from consultancy Metals Focus. The report gave no details on how the trade is tracked. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-11-03/india-tax-hike-drives-illegal-gold-imports-to-three-year-high