Gold smugglers keep Customs on their toes

There is no stopping the flow of black market bullion from the Gulf to Kerala. As per official estimates, the Customs Department in Kochi booked 254 cases involving 87 kg of gold worth around ₹26 crore, in addition to foreign currency and other goods in commercial quantity, over the last six months of the previous fiscal.

The duty collected from gold imports in the second half of last fiscal stood at ₹1.78 crore, in addition to a fine of ₹13.8 lakh. The duty collected from goods other than gold was ₹11.81 crore, taking the total revenue collection during the period to₹14.1 crore.

Innovative methods

“They are taking great pains and devising innovative ideas from mouth to rectum and date seeds to electronic gadgets to get around us. But we have been able to stay one step ahead of them in most cases through continuous monitoring and various techniques of passenger profiling,” said Sumit Kumar, Customs Commissioner, Kochi.

For instance, the officials recently busted an attempt by a Kasaragod native to smuggle the metal in the form of tooth paste. The metal, weighing 851 g and worth ₹26.3 lakh, was converted into paste form by adding some chemicals to it. To evade metal detectors, the paste was put in belt-shaped packets worn around the waist. The new method, which requires body frisking of the suspect, is proving to be a major challenge to the sleuths here.

The Customs has now decided to enhance the intelligence gathering system. It has announced a reward of up to 30% of market value of the seized gold to people who provide tips-off.