Monday, June 10, 2019

Smuggling of gold: Airport officer & four others held

Chennai:10.06.2019

Officials of the directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) busted a gold smuggling syndicate at the Chennai international airport on Saturday and arrested five people, including a senior customs officer. Though the names of the officer and the other accused have not been revealed, sources said the officer was of the rank of a superintendent. The crackdown led to a seizure of 23kg of gold worth ₹7.825 crore.

In a communication issued on Sunday, DRI said that on Saturday they apprehended four passengers, who had arrived at Anna International Airport from Singapore and Malaysia, with 12.95kg of gold bars. The delinquent officer, who was waiting to receive the gold from them on behalf of a Chennai receiver, and who was planning to allow the passengers to go undetected, was also arrested. TNN

Revenue inte1ligence seize 10kg gold, ₹24L in cash

The DRI’s follow-up search at the receiver’s residence and that of a near-relative resulted in seizure of further 10.2kg of smuggled gold and ₹24.43 lakh in cash.

Later, while searching a grey-market shop owned by the receiver, officers of DRI recovered 48 drones (restricted for import) valued at about ₹23 lakh, and several high-end cameras and accessories.

The passengers intercepted at the airport were also carrying high-value cameras and accessories.

Though the official release does not mention the exact location of these hideouts, sources said it happened in Egmore area. The arrested five, including the customs officer, have admitted their involvement in the crime, DRI said.

“They said they were involved in smuggling of gold and other goods on repeated occasions,” an official said.

The case is not yet over, as the DRI has upped the efforts to trace the receiver, a resident of Chennai, who is currently absconding.



HUNT IS ON

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