Customs dept busts gold smuggling syndicate at Chennai International airport

PTI, Jun 30, 2024, 1:14 PM IST

In a major intelligence operation, the Customs department at the airport here has busted a syndicate which was involved in smuggling of 267 kg of gold worth Rs 167 crore from Sri Lanka, during the last two months.

An intelligence tip-off led to the arrest of a shop-owner, his staff who were allegedly involved in the crime.

A press release from Chennai International Airport, Principal Commissioner R Srinivasa Naik said a sales executive of the Airhub shop located at the international terminal was intercepted on suspicious movement and during a personal search by the sleuths of the department, three bundles of gold concealed in his body were recovered. He had received the contraband from a transit passenger, a Sri Lankan national.

Further inquiries revealed that the smugglers, all hailing from Sri Lanka, had rented the Airhub shop, employing eight individuals to receive contraband from transit passengers and smuggle it out of the airport under this sophisticated operation. ”Using this modus operandi, they managed to smuggle 267 kg of gold over two months,” stated the official release.

The implicated Sri Lankan national, the shop-owner, and staff members have been arrested and placed in judicial custody as the investigation continues.

The implicated Sri Lankan national, the shop-owner, and staff members have been arrested and placed in judicial custody as the investigation continues.