Four Customs officials suspended

Kozhikode (Ker), Jan 13 (PTI): Four Customs officials atKaripur international airport, including a superintendent,were suspended by the department on Wednesday for allegedlyassisting a syndicate to smuggle a huge volume of foreignbrand cigarettes, official sources said here.

Officials said Customs (Preventive) Commissioner SumitKumar issued the suspension order a day after sleuths from theCBI, Customs and Department of Revenue Intelligence, in ajoint operation, busted the syndicate seizing a huge volume offoreign brand cigarettes while it was being smuggled into thecountry from the Gulf.

They said the action was taken after an internal probefound that a customs superintendent, two inspectors and a headhavildar, posted at the airport allegedly assisted thesyndicate in smuggling gold.

Officials said action would be initiated against theofficials under Customs Act and rules of service conduct.

The role of some more personnel belonging to the samebatch of the customs team posted at the airport was under thescanner of the Commissionerate, officials said.

These officers belong to the batch of personnel posted atthe airport since January 8, they said.

A special customs team deputed by the commissionerateconducted searches at the residences of the officials as partof the internal probe following the joint operation by thecentral agencies found their alleged links with the cigarettesmugglers.

Sources said over two dozen passengers have also beendetained in connection with smuggling of cigarettes, gold andcurrency through the airport.

Besides, cigarettes, gold and currencies were seized inthe operation carried out based on intelligence inputs, theysaid.

According to sources, said the cigarettes' being smuggledcan easily be detected in scanning, but such checking andrecovery were not carried out effectively.

The less number of seizures from the side of officialsgenerated suspicion about their involvement and based onintelligence inputs, a joint operation was launched to bustthe syndicate, the sources said.

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