Chennai: Union Finance Ministry's Directorate Of Revenue Intelligence, Chennai Zonal Unit busted a smuggling gang operating through Chennai airport and seized Rs 7.82 crore of gold bars by arresting four passengers and a custom official on Saturday.
In a release, DRI stated that in a series of swiftly coordinated operations on Saturday, the DRI sleuths seized over 23 kg of foreign marked gold bars, valued at Rs. 7.825 crore, from a smuggling syndicate in Chennai. The personnel arrested five persons including an officer of Customs posted at the Chennai International Airport.
Acting on specific intelligence, the officers intercepted four passengers who arrived at Anna International Airport from Singapore and Malaysia, with about 12.95 kg of gold bars, and also apprehended the Customs officer who was waiting to take the gold from them on behalf of a receiver at Chennai. The Customs officer was planning to allow the passengers through undetected.
A quick follow-up search at the receiver's residence and that of a near relative resulted in seizure of further 10.2 kg of smuggled gold, as well as Rs. 24.43 lakhs in cash. In the search of a grey-market shop owned by the receiver, officers of DRI recovered 48 drones (import-restricted) valued at about Rs. 23 lakhs, and several high-end cameras and accessories, the release added.
The passengers intercepted at the airport also were carrying high value cameras and accessories for the same person.
The four passengers and the Customs officer admitted their involvement in smuggling of gold and other goods on repeated occasions and they were arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act and remanded to judicial custody. Efforts are underway to trace the receiver, a resident of Chennai, who is currently absconding. Further investigation is in progress.
