Surge in gold seizures at Mumbai airport, smugglers resort to novel ways

An Indian national was arrested at Mumbai airport with 16 kg of gold worth Rs 8.40 crore that he was trying to smuggle into the country, Customs officials said.

The man arrived on a flight from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.

There has been a surge in gold seizures at Mumbai airport this week as the Customs Department seized 15 kgs of gold valued at Rs 7.87 crore in four cases and foreign currency worth Rs 22 lakh in two different cases on Tuesday and Wednesday as well. Seven people have been arrested in connection with these cases, Customs officials confirmed.

Smugglers have adopted novel ways to conceal the contraband gold, but specific intelligence received by the Customs Department has helped to nab them.

In the first case, officers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport developed intelligence inputs and caught one Indian national who arrived by Emirates flight EK 500 from Dubai with 9.895 kg of gold valued at Rs 5.20 crore.

The gold was kept in a specially designed belt with several pockets that was wrapped around the smuggler’s chest and shoulder. The Indian national revealed that the gold was handed over to him in Dubai by two Sudanese passengers who have also been arrested.

In the second case, gold in dust form weighing 1.875 kg valued at Rs. 99.75 lakh was seized from an Indian national who arrived on an IndiGo flight that came from Sharjah via Chennai. Gold dust packets were concealed in the undergarments of the passengers.

In the third case also gold dust was found hidden in the undergarments of two passengers who arrived form Jeddah. Each passenger was carrying over 1 kg of gold valued at Rs 57 lakh and Rs 58 lakh respectively.

In the fourth case, gold dust in wax form weighing 973 grams and valued at Rs 51,17,980 was seized from a Sudanese national who had arrived by Emirates flight from Dubai. Gold dust in wax was found concealed in the rectum of the smuggler.