Mumbai, June 29: The Mumbai Airport Customs officials have unearthed a gold smuggling syndicate and arrested a Kerala-based man for allegedly smuggling gold worth crores of rupees from Dubai. Interestingly, the accused had concealed gold bars in his shoes.
According to sources, Customs officers intercepted passenger M.A.K. Abdulla after he arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International (CSMI) Airport, Mumbai, from Dubai. He was intercepted while crossing the green channel.
The examination of his baggage as well as his personal search conducted by the Customs officers resulted in the recovery and seizure of gold bars concealed in the shoes he was wearing.
Gold Worth Rs 2.88 Crore Seized
The Customs officers of the Passenger Clearance Group handed over the seized goods to officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) after completion of the valuation panchnama. The Customs officers then recorded the statement of the accused, wherein he admitted to the possession, concealment, carriage, non-declaration and recovery of the seized 2,244 grams of gold worth Rs 2.88 crore.
"In his statement, he admitted that he was involved in the smuggling of gold in lieu of monetary consideration. If left unchecked, this modus operandi is likely to be exploited by smugglers in a big way, even to smuggle other contraband items which might be detrimental to national security. This modus operandi is required to be nipped in the bud to avoid huge financial loss to the exchequer," said a Customs officer.
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Probe Into Smuggling Nexus
The officer added, "The investigation in this case is at the preliminary stage and the nexus is yet to be revealed by the accused. Further investigation is being carried out to bust the larger nexus involved in the smuggling activities."
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