Gold smugglers keep customs on toes, over 18kg seized in 2018
Joy Sengupta | TNN | Jan 31, 2019, 07:09 IST
Representative imagePUNE: Smuggling of gold into the country through the city airport continues to be a concern with 2018 witnessing more recovery of such yellow metal than the two preceding years.
Customes officials seized 18kg of gold and arrested four persons for trying to bring in the yellow metal in 2018. In 2017, they had recovered 17.6kg of gold and arrested four persons. The year before, 12.89kg of gold was recovered at the airport here.
Earlier this month, 4kg of gold was recovered from a SpiceJet flight reaching Pune from Dubai. “Continuous programmes aimed at sensitizing the airlines’ staffers are on and we are also keeping a strict eye on the situation,” a customs official said.
Another official said the way the smugglers are using various aircraft components to hide gold was surprising. “We are sure that the smugglers and the carriers go through some training for such activities. But it is difficult to ascertain how and where the training happens. In the smuggling attempt earlier this month, the smugglers had opened the cabinet covering the base of the wash basin of a washroom on the aircraft and we recovered 4kg gold from there,” the official said.
“There was another instance of the smugglers opening the oxygen panel of a toilets and hiding gold there. All this cannot be done by someone who doesn’t know how to open such components,” the official said.
An official said thorough check of the aircraft after landing in Pune often led to recoveries.
The customs officials, however, didn’t comment on whether the opening of such aircraft parts in a bid to hide gold could be a safety concern for the aircraft and the passengers on board.
The TOI had sent a detailed query to the airline (SpiceJet) on the issue a few days ago. The airline was yet to reply till the time of going to the press.
Aviation experts did not rule out chances of “sabotage” if the smugglers continued to resort to such acts. “The airlines should ensure stricter checks so that that the smugglers and the carriers did not have information and any access to the sensitive operation areas or systems of an aircraft,” aviation expert Dhairyashil Vandekar said.
Customes officials seized 18kg of gold and arrested four persons for trying to bring in the yellow metal in 2018. In 2017, they had recovered 17.6kg of gold and arrested four persons. The year before, 12.89kg of gold was recovered at the airport here.
Earlier this month, 4kg of gold was recovered from a SpiceJet flight reaching Pune from Dubai. “Continuous programmes aimed at sensitizing the airlines’ staffers are on and we are also keeping a strict eye on the situation,” a customs official said.
Another official said the way the smugglers are using various aircraft components to hide gold was surprising. “We are sure that the smugglers and the carriers go through some training for such activities. But it is difficult to ascertain how and where the training happens. In the smuggling attempt earlier this month, the smugglers had opened the cabinet covering the base of the wash basin of a washroom on the aircraft and we recovered 4kg gold from there,” the official said.
“There was another instance of the smugglers opening the oxygen panel of a toilets and hiding gold there. All this cannot be done by someone who doesn’t know how to open such components,” the official said.
An official said thorough check of the aircraft after landing in Pune often led to recoveries.
The customs officials, however, didn’t comment on whether the opening of such aircraft parts in a bid to hide gold could be a safety concern for the aircraft and the passengers on board.
The TOI had sent a detailed query to the airline (SpiceJet) on the issue a few days ago. The airline was yet to reply till the time of going to the press.
Aviation experts did not rule out chances of “sabotage” if the smugglers continued to resort to such acts. “The airlines should ensure stricter checks so that that the smugglers and the carriers did not have information and any access to the sensitive operation areas or systems of an aircraft,” aviation expert Dhairyashil Vandekar said.
more from times of india Cities
LATEST VIDEOS
All Comments ()+^ Back to Top
Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive. Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.
HIDE