KOCHI: Four international airports in Kerala continue to be major entry points for smuggled gold into the country as the Customs has seized yellow metal worth Rs 152 crore after registering a total of 1,236 smuggling cases from these airports during the three quarters of 2019-20 fiscal.
According to the latest data from the Customs, tightened anti-smuggling activities of the department in all four international airports in the state have resulted in the seizure of 252 kg of gold. The Customs also disposed of confiscated gold and fetched Rs 43.20 crore in 2017-18 and Rs 77.99 crore in 2018-19, which was the highest in the country.
Officials said the customs was able to check the activities of smugglers after special teams led by Pullela Nageswara Rao, Principal Chief Commissioner of Customs, Central Tax and Central Excise, Thiruvanathapuram Zone, managed to keep track of the smuggling rackets, which used to come out with novel means to bring in gold mainly from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Singapore and other Southeast Asian nations.
An official release said the customs revenue for the zone in 2018-19 was Rs 5,098 crore. Customs officials said the opening of Kannur International Airport had resulted in more number of seizures as rackets from northern districts in the state shifted their operations there.
According to the Customs, 41 gold smuggling cases have been booked from the airport after its inauguration in December 2018. While 36 people were arrested, a dozen others were booked under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA).