Gold worth Rs 13cr seized at airport

Thiruvananthapuram: In a major haul of gold smuggled into Kerala, customs officers at Trivandrum International Airport on Saturday seized gold worth more than Rs 13 crore. The gold brought in the cargo was addressed to a consulate office in Manacaud, Thiruvananthapuram. Around 30 kilograms of gold was seized from the cargo.
According to commissioner of customs Sumit Kumar, the parcel for the consulate office reached the airport in cargo flight a few days ago and the seizure was made based on intelligence information. During examination of the cargo, the customs found that certain items which were formally declared were not present in the cargo.
“After we verified the intelligence input, we contacted higher authorities and appraised them. The consignment was diplomatic cargo and was examined in presence of the consignee. The parcels contained household items such as frames and door handles,” said Sumit Kumar. The gold was found concealed in the articles.
“The consignee or diplomat in question disowned the cargo saying that it does not belong to him. He has been helping us get clarification on the consignment. The team of officers nabbed one person and are tracking other scamsters and smuggling syndicate members who are on the run,” added Kumar.
The customs unit is questioning the detained person and collecting details of the person who has sent it from abroad.
As per Customs Act and Diplomatic Relations (Vienna convention) Act, two kinds of objects of the diplomats are exempted from inspection: articles for official use and the personal baggage of a diplomatic agent. In this case, the consignment was brought as personal baggage and customs officers had to seek permission from higher authorities for examination of the consignment.