Ahmedabad: Ground staff member caught with gold worth Rs 8 crore

AHMEDABAD: An employee of a private ground staff agency at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport was detained by officers of the customs department, for colluding with a passenger in an attempt to smuggle 24.5kg of gold out of the city airport, in the wee hours of Tuesday.
According to the Ahmedabad principal commissioner of customs, the ground staff worker admitted to having received the gold bars from a passenger who had arrived from Dubai by flight FZ-0437. Customs officials detained the worker. On searching gold bars with a worth Rs 8.2 crore were found and seized.
The passenger, after handing the gold to the worker, had left the airport through the green channel and was waiting outside the terminal building. He was called back in and as the ground staff worker identified him, the duo was detained by the customs d partment.

Further investigation revealed that the passenger was supposed to deliver the gold to a certain person in Ahmedabad. Customs officials have identified the kingpin of the operation, but he is absconding. “Efforts are being made to nab all the persons ,” the statement added. In another case, 1.3kg of smuggled gold was seized by officers of the customs’ air intelligence unit (AIU) at SVPI airport from a passenger coming from Dubai. AIU officials intercepted a passenger who had arrived at around midnight on Tuesday aboard the Indigo Airlines flight 6E-072. On searching the passenger’s baggage, an unusually heavy juicer was discovered. The passenger admitted that it had gold concealed in it. Customs AIU officers opened the juicer and found a cylinder. When it was cut open, 1.39kg of 24 carat gold was found. The gold is valued at Rs 46.7 lakh.