Gold racketeers are devising innovative methods to smuggle the metal from abroad even as the Customs wing at the Calicut airport has tightened the noose on economic offenders.
Carriers resort to hiding gold in clothes, including specially designed undergarments, tampered electronic devices, cutlery, and footwear. There have also been instances of gold pieces being concealed in private parts of carriers. Usually, gold concealed in the body is detected by door-frame metal detectors, so carriers use luggage to smuggle gold, officials said.
One of the factors behind the rise in gold smuggling is price fluctuation. The price of a gram of gold (22 carat) is ₹2,975, and that of 24 carat is ₹3,181. The prices of the metal in UAE Dirham are 134.75 and 143.50 respectively. “However, gold smuggling oscillates on two occasions, that is when the prices escalate and when the rupee depreciates,” an official said.
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Gold smuggling through Calicut airport has been on the rise in recent years. As many as 78 cases were registered in 2017, while 51.849 kg gold, valued at ₹12.79 crore, was seized.
The number of cases made a quantum jump to 455 till October 31. The quantity of gold seized was 130.78 kg, and it was valued at ₹38.78 crore. The seizure was comparatively less in the months of February and August, sources said.
According to rules, a man who has been abroad for more than a year is allowed to bring free-of-duty gold jewellery up to 20 grams on his return to India, with a value cap of ₹5 lakh. In the case of a woman, it is 40 grams with a value cap of ₹1 lakh.
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Meanwhile, Customs Commissioner Sumit Kumar has written to the Chief Commissioner of Central Tax on the acute shortage of staff at the airport. The functioning of Air Customs will be badly hit owing to the heavy flow of passengers. The level of precision of smugglers is also a challenge for officials, he said.