KOCHI: The gold in paste form is still hitting the airports at high numbers in Kerala as in Nedumbassery Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) alone 10 kgs of gold in such form was recovered in last two months time period. Similarly, gold smuggling cases also have increased at Nedumbassery airport in the first two months of the current fiscal compared with the same time period during the last fiscal.
Sumit Kumar, Customs Commissioner told Express that such compound form of the gold is smuggled to evade checking at metal detectors. "The smugglers try to beat the enforcement agencies by adopting new technologies and find new ways of smuggling. The paste form gold is one such modus newly adopted by the smugglers. The paste form gold is consigned in jackets and handbags. The gold is converted in paste form with the assistance of experts. But we have enhanced our intelligence gathering system which is one of the reasons behind high numbers of seizures in last few months," he said.
The Customs department has requested the Central government to provide body scanners to detect smuggling of gold in compound forms. The body scanners are installed at all major airports abroad. "We have written to the Central government that all airports in Kerala should be provided with advanced body scanners. The smuggling of gold in compound form can be reduced by introducing advanced technologies at airports," Sumit said.
The customs department also have enhanced surveillance activities like monitoring frequent travellers through their passport details.
In the first two months of current fiscal, as many 91 cases of gold seizure were reported at Nedumbassery airport. As many as 21.24 kgs of gold worth Rs 601.72 lakhs have been seized during the same time period. As many as 6 persons were arrested in connection with gold smuggling during.
In the first two months of last fiscal, 11 cases of gold seizure were reported at Nedumbassery airport. It was around 5.218 kg of gold worth Rs 137.802 lakhs in the same duration. As many as 2 persons were arrested in related to the gold seizure.
In the entire 2017-18 fiscal year, as many as 219 gold seizure cases were reported in which 29 persons were arrested. Similarly, 86.957 kg of gold worth Rs 2370.101 lakh were recovered.