The Mumbai Airport Customs officials have seized over 4.75 kilograms of gold valued at ₹2.77 crore from March 22-24 in five different cases.
According to the Customs, on 22.03.2024, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials had handed over the Shift Manager of a Food Retail Outlet in Departure of the airport, who was caught along with 3200 grams of gold dust during the personal search by CISF while he was exiting the airport.
"On preliminary enquiries by the Customs officers, it was revealed by the Food Retail Outlet Shift Manager, that the gold dust was handed over to him by a transit passenger which was to be delivered to two persons near a prefixed place near Dharavi. To apprehend the receivers, a trap was laid down near the auto-rickshaw stand outside the airport. The two suspects identified by the Shift Manager were caught by the Customs team after chasing them up to 1.5 Km," said a Customs official.
He added, "On investigation, it was found that they were staying in a hotel room at Masjid Bunder. The Customs team reached the hotel and recovered ₹3.82 lakh from the hotel room. All the three persons involved in the smuggling have been arrested and sent to judicial custody."
In the second case, an Indian national, travelling from Bangkok to Mumbai was intercepted and four gold bangles weighing 491 grams (net) were found concealed on the body of the passenger. In the third case, a foreign national, travelling from Nairobi to Mumbai was intercepted and gold melted bars weighing 454 grams (net) was found concealed in the hand bag carried by the passenger.
"In the fourth case, an Indian national, travelling from Dubai to Mumbai was intercepted and gold jewellery weighing 350 grams (net) was found concealed on the body of the passenger. In the last case, an Indian national, travelling from Hong Kong to Mumbai was intercepted and gold jewellery weighing 258 grams (net) was found concealed on the body of the passenger," the official said.
