In Karnataka, 3 gold seizure cases detected per week

BENGALURU: Two central agencies that track illegal movement of gold in the country register at least three gold smuggling cases on average every week in Karnataka. As per data from the Customs department and the department of revenue intelligence, there have been nearly 1,600 such cases in the state from January 2012 to June 2022.
From concealment in containers like beverage bottles to hiding the precious metal in cakes and sporting equipment, arrests of smugglers in the recent past have revealed newer methods to bring in the gold.
According to officials, customs and DRI rely mostly on tip-offs from their network of informers, sometimes whistleblowers from within the gangs, to nab the smugglers. "Because we cannot inconvenience genuine passengers and newer methods see smuggled items going past regular screening infrastructure, almost all detections take place based on prior intelligence," an officer said.
The most common means of smuggling as found in Bengaluru are concealment in rectum, other body concealments, in electronic goods and in checked-in baggage. In Mumbai and Chennai, officials had found gold hidden in bicycle pedals and handgrips. One official had told TOI earlier that with most international flights landing after midnight and those coming from West Asian countries — from where gold smuggling is rampant — usually full, making it difficult to screen all of them.
In the same period, there were more than 28,500 cases across the country. Overall, total seizure of gold valued at around Rs 9,661 crore was made by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs of the finance ministry.
While the DRI and customs data did not include state-wise break-up of the number of kilograms of gold smuggled in or its value, separate data from the finance ministry shows that between April 2017 and December 2021, nearly 10,000kg of smuggled gold was seized only at airports. Out of this, 341kg was seized at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru.