COIMBATORE: The lure of yellow metal is hard to resist even among smugglers entering the country through Coimbatore International Airport. It is closely followed by foreign cigarettes on the list of top items smuggled here.
Currently, three international airlines — Air Arabia, Silk Air and Sri Lankan Airlines — provide services to Sharjah, Singapore and Colombo. On flip side of the growth in domestic and international air travel in India is the constantly innovative method of smuggling.
It has become a big challenge for the Customs and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officials to monitor smuggling activities at Coimbatore International Airport. Customs officials say, “As the flight service expands, the responsibility of our Department has also increased. We keep updating our techniques to track the smuggling activities. Passport profiling helps us to a great extent.”
How does passport profiling help? “There is a unique software given to us. If we type the passenger’s name, the history of the passenger is revealed and it includes details like legal action, smuggling activities. Once the person is identified, we wait for the passenger to land and start our enquiry. Special checking is done,” adds the custom official.
Previously, smugglers hid gold bars inside their baggage. Now, it is a different story. From powdered gold mixed with henna and detergent powders, to lining the precious metal inside suitcases, watch dials and even toys, the officials are witnessing newer methods. Gold bars have been attempted to be smuggled by placing it in the rectum of the passengers and swallowed and stored in stomachs. Recently, 20 gold bits worth `13 lakhs has been recovered from a passenger’s stomach and has been a considered a first to be trapped in India.
“There are a few rare cases of smuggling. A lady passenger was once wearing a 30 kg gold ritual chain, which was very abnormal. Similarly, passengers who smuggle gold in their rectum will exhibit abnormal behaviour — like in their manner of walking and their hurry to complete the clearance. This helps to identify them. In other cases, we check passenger’s travel history and frequent travellers are observed. When we conduct a special enquiry with them, they will be caught, if they are guilty.”
The body language of the smugglers is a give away, say officials. Also, the Department has trained the officials to various methods used for illegal activities and provided them with equipment to prevent any and all of it.
“Unlike Chennai and other major airports, there are only three international flight operations at Coimbatore. We have enough time in between the flight operations. Even as the smugglers change their methods, we also update ours to track them down,” they say.