Mumbai: The Mumbai Airport Customs’ Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) registered three cases of smuggling this week: a Singapore-bound couple carrying €60,000 in their rectums, a woman passenger from Dubai carrying gold dust in her belt, and two Ahmedabad-bound passenger with gold bars worth ₹43.72 lakh.
In the first case, Jagan Kumar Kalra and Swatantrata, who were headed to Singapore by an Air India flight, were intercepted on October 28 based on specific information. A personal search and baggage examination led to the recovery of €60,000, worth ₹45.12 lakh, concealed in their rectums. In a statement, V. Rama Mathew, Commissioner of Customs, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, said the money was seized under provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and both passengers placed under arrest. During questioning, Mr. Kalra and Ms. Swatantrata admitted to possession, carriage and recovery of the currency under seizure.
In the second case detected the same day, Neeraj and Gaurav Kumar, travelling to Ahmedabad, were stopped on suspicion. Their personal search led to the recovery of 16 gold bars weighing 1.6 kg and valued at ₹43.72 lakh.
The gold was handed over to the duo by Daimbla Kulbhushan and Suminder Singh Dhillon, who had flown in from Singapore earlier that night. All four passengers were arrested.
In their statements, recorded under section 108 of the Customs Act, 1962, both passengers admitted to possession, carriage, concealment and recovery of the gold, which was being smuggled into India without payment of Customs duty and in contravention of the provisions of the Act.
In the third case on Monday, Nazna Ayaz Shaikh was caught with 1.4 kg of a brown-coloured powder in a sticky form, purportedly gold dust in powder form with 999% purity. The contraband provisionally weighed 450 grams and is valued at ₹12.29 lakh. During questioning, Ms. Shaikh confessed to possession and concealment of the seized goods.
