CHENNAI: Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officials busted another gold smuggling bid involving two ground handling staff at Chennai international airport and recovered 2.2 kg gold worth approximately Rs 1.5 crore.
According to sources, the staff involved in the nexus with a transit passenger from Dubai were part of the toilet cart operations, which involves evacuating waste from lavatories and filling water. They have been identified as P Deepak and Petchimuthu. Both are contracted by the Air India Airport Services Ltd, at the Chennai airport.
Sources said the incident occurred on September 5, when a passenger who came to Chennai from Dubai on an Emirates airlines flight left a few packets of gold weighing 2.2 kg inside the aircraft toilet. Deepak, who was on the shift, requested his superiors to relieve him early citing a personal emergency.
Around 8.15 pm, he retrieved the gold and took it past the security. He and Petchimuthu then tried to leave the airport through a particular gate when they were stopped by DRI officials. They were taken for questioning, the gold was retrieved and both were arrested and taken to DRI’s office in T Nagar.
The passenger who brought the gold is believed to have left for Sri Lanka by another flight, sources said.