IB officer on Mumbai airport duty held for gold smuggling

MUMBAI: An Intelligence Bureau officer attached to the city airport has been arrested in connection with a gold smuggling racket. The officer, Shiva Kumar, was attached to the Immigration department.
Recently, five custom officials and 13 passengers were arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence's Chennai unit for allegedly smuggling gold in Chennai.
On a tip-off, Air Intelligence Unit officials on Wednesday intercepted Kumar who was under surveillance. They had information that an official was to take some contraband from a transit passenger in the toilet near gate 44 at the departure area. "We identified the transit passenger who arrived from Dubai and was to fly to Bangkok and another who arrived from Bangkok and was to fly to Dubai. Many passengers, staff and officials entered the toilet and exited but an official from the immigration entered with a suspicious bag which strengthened our belief." said an officer.
A check of the bag resulted in recovery of six gold peices weighing around 2.5 kg and worth Rs 91 lakh.
Officials said that nobody would to the toilet with a bag during working hours. The passenger too was arrested.
"Normally Immigration officers are not checked at the airport. So, some officers working there are getting involved in smuggling." said a senior officer.