Mumbai: CISF officers get 1-year rigorous imprisonment in 2012 gold smuggling case

Two former sub-inspectors with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), who helped a private person smuggle 5.8 kg gold from Dubai through the Mumbai international airport terminal, were sentenced to a year of rigorous imprisonment by a special court on Monday.

The special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court found the two guilty under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA).

Accused misused official position

It stated in its judgment made available on Tuesday that prosecution has proved that accused Murarilal Meena and Uday Meena who are public servants misused their official position and conspired with co-accused and engaged in facilitating the smuggling of gold and tried to take the gold out of airport without paying import/custom duty.

4 out of 5 other accused acquitted

Apart from the CISF officers, there were five other accused in the case. Four of them, including the private person under whom all others were employed, were also acquitted.

Only an employee, who had been carrying the gold and had exchanged the bag containing gold at the washroom of the airport with the CISF officer, was convicted. Special Judge SM Menjoge sentenced him to three months of rigorous imprisonment.

The others, the court acquitted, its order said, “for want of concrete evidence against them” and gave them the benefit of the doubt.

CISF officers got ₹20K per kg of gold smuggled

The order said it is proved that the CISF officers and the private person were caught red handed on Aug 8, 2012.

Apart from oral evidence, it held that CCTV footage also supports that the employee had come from Dubai and exchanged his bag with the officer. It is also proved, the court said, that the officers were getting ₹20,000 per kg of gold smuggled and they were sharing the amount equally.