KOCHI: In yet another operation at Cochin International airport, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Monday, busted a gold smuggling racket, which used to smuggle in gold with the help of ground handling contract staff. The four members of the racket were nabbed while attempting to carry over two kilograms of gold worth `80 lakh from the airport.
DRI officers said the ground handling staff were nabbed while trying to take out the gold which was brought by a carrier from Dubai. While the carrier was identified as Najeeb Ismail of Thiruvananthapuram, the ground handling staff were T N Mithun and T Amal Bhasi. A person who came to pick up Najeeb from the airport was also nabbed by the DRI.
Najeeb, who arrived on a business class ticket on the Emirates flight, hid the gold in a waste basket in the smoking room in the international terminal. The personnel, who later picked up the gold from the bin, were nabbed while attempting to go out of the airport. The two were operators of the electric cart that is used to transport passengers from one terminal to another.