NEW DELHI: Three passengers from Sharjah, after arriving in Surat by Air Indian Express Flight No IX172 last Friday, headed straight to the men’s toilet at the arrival lounge close to the immigration counter. Little did they realise that they were being watched. Searches conducted by the officials of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on the three following specific tip-off, led to the recovery of 43.5 kg of gold concealed in their hand baggage in the form of paste.
Further questioning of the three passengers revealed that the gold was concealed for being smuggled into India with the help of some officials posted at the Surat International Airport. “The plan was to exchange the gold in a toilet located next to the immigration to evade screening and examination by authorities,” one of the arrested revealed.
Subsequent action resulted in further recovery of 4.67 kg of gold in paste form, found abandoned in the men’s washroom adjacent to the immigration checkpoint, which was handed over by the Central Industrial Security Force that guards the Indian airports to DRI. A total of 48.20 kg gold paste was recovered from the passengers from which 42 kg of gold (99% purity) worth around Rs 25.26 crore was extracted in one of the biggest gold haul this year so far.
Sources in the immigration department said that while there has been a significant rise in gold smuggling post pandemic, especially with the price of the yellow metal hitting new peaks, cases involving airlines staff and even customs officials posted at the airport are clocking new highs. As per the data available, between April 2022 and February 2023, 29 cases involving about 81 kg of seized gold where airline cabin crew or airport staff were implicated, were registered.
Last month, the DRI official who has been running ‘Operation Gold’, a special anti-gold smuggling operation, arrested two customs officials posted at the Thiruvananthapuram airport for smuggling gold.
In May this year, the DRI also arrested 11 individuals including a person working at a duty-free shop at the Mumbai international airport. They were allegedly part of a gold smuggling racket.
Also in April this year, following a probe by the Kochi customs commissioner, nine customs officials were sacked on charges of smuggling gold through Calicut airport. Meanwhile in Surat, statements of the three passengers were recorded under Customs Act, 1962, and they, along with one official, have been arrested.
“From the investigation so far, it appears that an organised smuggling racket has been operating at the Surat International Airport,” sources in the DRI said. “Further investigation to find out involvement of other persons including officials at the airport, is being carried out, to dismantle the whole syndicate,” they added. The action by DRI has busted the operation of the smuggling syndicate. These seizures are part of a sustained effort by DRI to combat the illicit smuggling of high-value goods.
The collusion
While there has been a significant rise in gold smuggling post pandemic, especially with the price of the yellow metal hitting new peaks, cases involving airlines staff and even customs officials posted at the airport are clocking new highs. Between April 2022 and February 2023, 29 such cases were registered, reveals data.