Coimbatore: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), received classified information about smuggling of gold deftly concealed by a certain smuggling gang from Dubai through the Coimbatore International Airport.
Coimbatore: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), received classified information about smuggling of gold deftly concealed by a certain smuggling gang from Dubai through the Coimbatore International Airport.
Working on the intelligence, the DRI officers of Coimbatore led by Satish.G, IRS, Deputy Director, kept a close surveillance of passengers arriving from Dubai on the Air India Express flight No.IX 1354 operated under the ‘Vandhe Bharat Mission’.
Based on the surveillance, the officers of DRI identified and suspected a couple aged 46 years and 33 years respectively hailing from Palladam of Tirupur District, while they were coming out of the green channel after completing the immigration, medical and Customs formalities.
On enquiry whether they were carrying gold in any form either on their body or in their hand baggage or their checked in luggage, they replied in the negative. As the passengers appeared to be uncomfortable and nervous, the officers segregated them and they were subjected to personal search with the help of lady officers from CISF and Customs.
Surveillance and personal search were done keeping COVID-19 protocols in mind. During the personal search, the officers recovered three heavy packets each stitched to the innerwear worn by them.
Upon open examination, it was found that the six packets recovered from the said passengers contained gold in paste form totalling 2.610 kgs. Carrying gold in 'paste form' is the new way adopted by smugglers to dodge metal detectors and X-ray machines installed at various International Airports as it is difficult to detect once it is covered with some chemicals.
Since the passengers arrived from Dubai, as per the COVID-19 procedures, they were permitted to go into home quarantine for 14 days.After the quarantine, the said passengers were summoned on August 25 and in their presence, the gold paste was subjected to the extraction process.
A total of 2,163 grams of 24K gold valued at Rs. 1,15,15,812/-was recovered.The said passengers have been arrested under the Customs Act, 1962 for offences committed in smuggling of gold and remanded to judicial custody. Further investigation of the casewill help in nabbing the main culprit.
It has been noticed that smuggling rackets eye people who have lost their jobs and are facing difficulty surviving abroad. These make them carriers in troubled times. They also take the risk believing that checking will be minimum for special flights.
Working on the intelligence, the DRI officers of Coimbatore led by Satish.G, IRS, Deputy Director, kept a close surveillance of passengers arriving from Dubai on the Air India Express flight No.IX 1354 operated under the ‘Vandhe Bharat Mission’.
Based on the surveillance, the officers of DRI identified and suspected a couple aged 46 years and 33 years respectively hailing from Palladam of Tirupur District, while they were coming out of the green channel after completing the immigration, medical and Customs formalities.
On enquiry whether they were carrying gold in any form either on their body or in their hand baggage or their checked in luggage, they replied in the negative. As the passengers appeared to be uncomfortable and nervous, the officers segregated them and they were subjected to personal search with the help of lady officers from CISF and Customs.
Surveillance and personal search were done keeping COVID-19 protocols in mind. During the personal search, the officers recovered three heavy packets each stitched to the innerwear worn by them.
Upon open examination, it was found that the six packets recovered from the said passengers contained gold in paste form totalling 2.610 kgs. Carrying gold in 'paste form' is the new way adopted by smugglers to dodge metal detectors and X-ray machines installed at various International Airports as it is difficult to detect once it is covered with some chemicals.
Since the passengers arrived from Dubai, as per the COVID-19 procedures, they were permitted to go into home quarantine for 14 days.After the quarantine, the said passengers were summoned on August 25 and in their presence, the gold paste was subjected to the extraction process.
A total of 2,163 grams of 24K gold valued at Rs. 1,15,15,812/-was recovered.The said passengers have been arrested under the Customs Act, 1962 for offences committed in smuggling of gold and remanded to judicial custody. Further investigation of the casewill help in nabbing the main culprit.
It has been noticed that smuggling rackets eye people who have lost their jobs and are facing difficulty surviving abroad. These make them carriers in troubled times. They also take the risk believing that checking will be minimum for special flights.