HYDERABAD: A gold smuggling racket being operated with the connivance of staff of the Covid testing centre at the international arrivals in the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport was busted by the Air Intelligence Unit of Hyderabad Customs Wing on Thursday.
The sleuths have seized 3.14 kg of gold worth Rs 1.65 crore in the operation. A male passenger who smuggled the gold from Dubai to Hyderabad and an employee of the Covid testing centre, who was helping him to shift it out of the airport, were nabbed.
Based on suspicion that gold is being smuggled out of the airport, Air Intelligence Unit identified and intercepted a passenger, aged about 24 Years, who arrived from Dubai by an Air India Flight and an employee (33) of MAPMYGENOME, Covid testing centre.
A polythene cover containing two pouches of hard metal and four pouches of paste suspected to be gold kept inside the dustbin placed in the cabin of MAPMYGENOME was found.
When interrogated, the employee admitted that those pouches were handed over to him by the passenger during sample collection for the Covid test. He also admitted that he was supposed to take out the pouches discreetly through the customs area for which he was offered a handsome consideration.
After conducting tests, the material was certified to be gold with 24 carat and 999 purity weighing 3.14 Kg and valued at Rs. 1.65 crore. Further investigation into the case is in progress.