VIJAYAWADA: In a three-day operation, the Customs Preventive Commissionerate, Vijayawada zone, arrested 16 people, including a woman, and seized 17.90 kgs of smuggled foreign-origin gold worth Rs 14.37 crore. The operation, conducted at Tadipatri Railway Station, Nellore Railway Station, and Bollapalli Toll Plaza, targeted smuggling networks operating across Andhra Pradesh.
According to officials, the crackdown was based on specific intelligence from reliable sources. Teams from the Customs Commissionerate (Preventive), Vijayawada, and Central GST units in Tirupati and Guntur coordinated the operation. The intercepted smugglers were transporting gold from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, with foreign markings deliberately erased to conceal its origin.
The 16 accused were arrested under the Customs Act, 1962, and have been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody by the Special Judge for Economic Offences in Visakhapatnam.
Customs officials reported that in the financial year 2023-24, Vijayawada Customs seized over 32 kilograms of smuggled gold valued at more than Rs 19 crore. In 2024-25, seizures include 20.41 kilograms of gold worth Rs 16.15 crore and 65 lakh smuggled cigarette sticks worth Rs 6.5 crore.
“The Customs Department remains vigilant and committed to combating smuggling to safeguard the nation’s economic and security interests. We urge citizens to report any suspicious activities related to smuggling or duty evasion,” said Commissioner Sadhu Narasimha Reddy.