The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 6.28 kg of foreign-origin gold worth Rs 9.18 crore at the Air Cargo Complex in Thiruvananthapuram, uncovering a smuggling network that used unaccompanied passenger baggage to transport the metal. Three people have been arrested in connection with the case.
Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers intercepted a baggage consignment and recovered the gold, which was concealed inside various hardware items, according to a government statement.
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The official comminique further added that the gold was hidden inside several hardware items, including floor springs, metal locks, grease guns and door closers. The syndicate's modus operandi involved packing these items along with other goods in a trolley secured with a number lock, the combination of which had been agreed upon in advance by its members.
The trolley was then sent as unaccompanied baggage from Dubai to Trivandrum. Upon its arrival, a warehouse staff member would unlock the trolley using the predetermined combination, retrieve the hardware items containing the concealed gold and hand them over to a mediator, who would subsequently deliver the consignment to the intended recipient.
Three people were arrested under the Customs Act, 1962, for their alleged roles in the smuggling network. They included a warehouse employee tasked with retrieving the hardware items concealing the gold, a Customs Broker acting as a middleman, and a receiver who had travelled to Thiruvananthapuram to collect the consignment.
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According to the DRI, the seizure highlights a developing trend in which cross-border smuggling organisations increasingly take advantage of internal logistics staff and air freight lines to avoid carrying contraband on their person. To find foreign suppliers and break up backwards and forward financial ties, further research is still being done.
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