99 tola gold seized at Nagpur airport brought by carriers hidden in private parts

NAGPUR: Around 99 tola gold, worth Rs60 lakh, was intercepted at the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar international Airport in Nagpur on Thursday during a joint action by the customs Air Intelligence Unit (AIU), and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
The carriers had brought the gold concealed in their private parts. They were intercepted on reaching Nagpur airports by a Qatar Airways flight, said reports. This is the second major gold seizure by security agencies from international flyers coming to city from Middle East in less than a month.
In the first week of September, a city police team had intercepted more than 28 tola gold ferried into the city on an international flight from the gulf by carriers, concealed in hammers and punching machines. A gang from Nagaur in Rajasthan was exposed during investigations into that case.
In the latest case, one of the carriers had 76 tola gold while the other was in possession of 23 tola. As per media reports, the carriers were repeaters, who had been arrested earlier too. Their travel history and networks are now under scanner. Sources said the carriers were supposed to take the gold consignment outside the state.
Rajendra Kawale, president of Nagpur Sarafa Association, said the city is being used as a route or gateway rather than a hub. “There is a lucrative proposition behind gold smuggling. The smugglers make almost Rs3 lakh for every kilo of gold smuggled without paying tax,” said Kawale, adding the lure of saving 12% tax and making money out of it is pushing many persons to take up smuggling to earn fast cash.
He denied that local Nagpur sarafa or bullion traders use smuggled gold for their business. “Nagpur is nowadays used as a gateway because one can go anywhere after reaching Nagpur, since it is centrally located,” he said.
A source said the international gold smugglers are now using or preferring smaller airports like Nagpur, where security checks and screening is relatively less strict.
It’s also learnt that in the past Nagpur was used as gateway by smugglers taking gold to places like Bhopal, Indore and Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, and Raipur and Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh. A senior police officer was also arrested for his role in the gold smuggling.
In city, Jaripatka-based Raju once controlled gold smuggling in Vidarbha from his base in city. Raju also enjoyed contacts in central agencies and airports too.
According to security sources, the use of Nagpur route seems to have increased in the last few months, after a reshuffle in officials posted by central agencies dealing with screening of valuables.