The Customs officials anticipate possibilities of gold sneaking into the State from neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka through fishing boats following the large-scale seizures of smuggled gold at the airports in the State.
Officials said smuggling groups might make use of fishermen as agents by paying them hefty sums of money. As the fishing trawlers usually go to deep sea for fishing, the transactions are difficult to trace either. “In the neighbouring States, cases of them preferring sea routes rather individual carriers have emerged. However, we are yet to come across any such case in Kerala as of now,” they said. The gold bought at cheaper rates from the Gulf, especially Dubai is flown to Colombo, where import rules are more lenient.
