Crew member and passenger arrested for smuggling

The Customs has increased alertness as international operations are back on track.
(Representational Photo)
(Representational Photo)

TIRUCHY: An Air India Express' Singapore crew member and a passenger were caught for smuggling after the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officials on Sunday night conducted an inspection at the Tiruchy International Airport. They had reached Tiruchy by AIE flight at 7 pm.

According to sources, the crew member, Vinod Kumar, and passenger Bakrudeen carried the gold in paste form and the officials recovered gold weighing about 2.5 kg. Chemical tests of the seized materials found that the gold was worth Rs 1 crore. The DRI team has recorded the arrest. After being produced at Tiruchy district court on Monday, they were remanded.

Last November, DRI busted a similar attempt and caught another cabin crew member of AIE's Dubai flight for smuggling.

This year, the customs had also busted two smuggling attempts in which gold paste was found concealed inside the aircraft. The first incident happened in January and gold in paste form was found concealed under the sidewall of the aircraft. The customs busted that smuggling attempt and the seized gold was worth about Rs 41.62 lakh. The second attempt happened in February and gold worth Rs 21.5 lakh was retrieved.

Sources said that these two incidents caught the attention of the central agencies and that intelligence units were keeping an eye on Tiruchy airport.

The Air Intelligence Unit of Tiruchy Airport had registered 98 cases of gold smuggling and recovered gold worth Rs 28 crore between April 2020 and March 2021, and 45 cases were registered and gold worth Rs 15 crore recovered between April 2021 and July 2021.

The Customs has increased alertness as international operations are back on track.

"Many youngsters do not know the consequence of smuggling. You'll be arrested if caught with gold worth Rs 20 lakh or more and the passports of the smugglers will be blacklisted," an intelligence wing officer said.

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