Smugglers ‘recruit’ jobless youths to use them as unwitting gold carriers

› A 23-year-old youth from Ichhalkaranji in Kolhapur was elated in early December to meet a person and get a hob offer in Dubai. His ticket to Dubai was taken care of and he boarded his first flight from Mumbai on December 14, only to return via Pune on a Jet Airways flight on December 20. But at the Pune airport, customs officials found on him 4.371kg of gold from a cloth iron and sewing machine he was carrying. The bag, apart from the two equipment, had some clothes and chocolates and the youth had no idea about it.
› A 25-year-old youth from Mumbra in Thanemet a man who offered him a job of a construction worker in Dubai. Like his Ichhalkaranji counterpart, the youth's flight ticket to Dubai was also arranged. He left for Dubai from airport at Lohegaon, Pune, on December 6, only to return with December 10 as the job offer did not work out. At the Pune airport, customs authorities found on him 48 baby diapers with buttons made of gold. He, too, was caught unawares by the discovery.



Around three of the seven people arrested at the Pune airport with gold this year did not have the faintest idea that the luggage they were carrying from the Middle East to the country had the precious yellow metal inside.

During investigations, the Pune customs authorities stumbled upon a new modus operandi of smugglers to exploit them, and probably many more, as "gold carriers" by sending them to the Middle East with job opportunities.

"The kingpins are mostly based in Mumbai. The vulnerable targets are contacted by some third party working for the kingpins," an officer said.

"The victims are lured with fat pay packets and are easily trapped. Unlike many fake job rackets, no money is charged here. Once the targets agree to the job offers, their travel tickets are taken care of. They are also provided with details about things to do once they land in Dubai or Abu Dhabi," the official added.

"He is received by a member of the racket who arranges a place for the target to stay. We have learnt that the targets usually stay in 'not-so-good places' in those cities for around a week to 10 days. During this period, they get food and are told that their job process is on. In the above two cases, since the amount of the gold recovered is less than Rs 1 crore, they can apply for a bail. Presently they are in judicial custody," he said.

"These men get trapped mainly because their ticket expenses and visa are all arranged by the kingpins and their accomplices. We believe that during the targets' stay there, gold is carefully kept in the luggage without their knowledge," the official added.

Afew days ;ater, the victims are told they would be getting a call for the job within a month or two. "Their return tickets are arranged. Once the victims get ready to fly, their luggage is opened and shown.

"They are requested to carry it back to India and hand it over to someone at the arrival," the official said.

The customs authorities said they get information about the "gold carriers" through specific tip-offs.

At present, the airport here has four international flights — two to Dubai (Air India and SpiceJet), one to Abu Dhabi (Jet Airways) and another to Frankfurt (Lufthansa).