Lankan nabbed with smuggled gold in Chennai
Sleuths of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Friday
intercepted nine passengers who arrived from Colombo at the Chennai
airport with smuggled gold worth Indian Rs. 2.5 million.
They stopped nine passengers - one Sri Lankan and eight from Tamil
Nadu, who arrived from Colombo, and began an inquiry.
After two hours of inquiry, the passengers confessed to have smuggled
the gold.
The passengers were later handed over to the customs officials for
further investigations. DRI officials said that the nine could be part
of a larger network in the city involved in smuggling.
DRI officials said they acted on a tip-off that passengers arriving
in a flight on a private airline at the airport had concealed gold in
their baggages.
DRI officials said six passengers had 27 hooks or buckles made of
gold - each weighing about 30 to 35 grams and coated with black paint.
Two small pieces of gold were found inside a talisman worn by one of
the passengers, while two more pieces found in ayurvedic pain ointment
bottles. Two rings made of crude gold were found on the person of two
passengers.
Thirty-four pieces of gold weighing 984 grams were seized.
"The Gold price differs in Sri Lanka compared to Indian and the
passengers we identified were frequent travellers bringing gold from
there.
The passengers had only hand baggage and they carried everything in
it. The hooks or buckles they carried were hung in zipper bags. They
removed and showed them to us," said Additional Director General (ADG),
DRI C.Rajan.
"We suspect a person from Mannadi, could be involved in the
smuggling.
These passengers pass on the gold to an agent, who in turn pass it on
to another and finally it reaches the jeweller.
We have handed over the case to the Customs Authorities," he said.
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